Until they settled on Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard as Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s replacements, This Morning seemed to be testing a variety of hosts, much to the chagrin of viewers.
One constant that fans could rely on, however, was the bubbly Josie Gibson, who joined as a relief co-presenter in 2021 – something the star describes as a huge TV breakthrough.
Josie, 39, exclusively tells Closer, “It was something I had always dreamed of. I got the call when Reggie was about four months old. Since then, This Morning has helped me grow in the job. What I love about it is that the audience have watched me grow as well.
“At first, they gave me five minutes, and today I’m on the main show. I can’t thank the bosses enough because they believed in me, and I feel they always have my back.”
Having been working at This Morning since 2019, Josie – who first shot to fame when she appeared on (and won) Big Brother in 2010 – has become firm friends with her fellow presenters, including BFF Alison Hammond and former host Holly, who left the show in October after an alleged kidnap plot.
Speaking about her friendship with Holly, 43, Josie shares, “Holly is so funny. Very lush, and we had a lot of laughs together. I miss her terribly.”
But as much as she loves starring on the ITV breakfast show, Josie admits that it can be a struggle to balance both her career and being a single mum to son Reggie – who she welcomed in September 2018 with ex-boyfriend Terry Bond. The pair split when Reggie was just five months old, but are still on great terms, with Terry even moving in to help co-parent Reggie, five, during the Covid lockdowns.
“It’s a constant struggle but you need to be organised,” she explains. “I am very fortunate that Reggie has a lovely dad who is so good and helps me a lot with him. It’s all about teamwork and Terry has been really supportive since Reggie was born. I can’t thank him enough. He’s the best dad ever.”
Now that Reggie is getting older, one of the easiest ways for Josie to juggle motherhood and work is by getting Reggie involved in some of her projects. The pair recently teamed up with yogurt brand Yoplait for a campaign highlighting the growing calcium deficiency in children’s diets.
Josie says, “Recent research shows that kids are swapping yogurts for crisps and chocolate, which is sad to hear. My Reggie loves his yogurts, so I wanted to get involved and try to highlight the issue. Over one million kids are currently in danger of poor development and growth because they lack key nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and iodine, which are all found in fortified kids’ yogurts.
“Reggie has got involved and we did a photo shoot together. I wanted to try to help raise awareness and it was so lovely to take my son to work with me for once.”
Since winning Big Brother – something she describes as “a huge shock” – Josie’s career has gone from strength to strength and she’s starred on The Jump and Cooking With The Stars. Then, last year, she tried her hand in the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle alongside Nigel Farage and Marvin Humes, eventually finishing in fourth place.
Looking back on the experience, Josie admits, “I never realised how hard it would be. I’m so scared of spiders, I found it very difficult. I look back on it as an experience I will never forget. My main problem was that I was missing Reggie so much – I just couldn’t wait to get out and see him.”
Luckily, Josie had the support of eventual King of the Jungle Sam Thompson to help her through the challenges of jungle life, and she now reveals that the pair are still close and regularly see each other.
“He’s so lovely,” shares Josie. “I adore him. I’m so happy he’s now working on This Morning. I think he’s amazing and we get along so well together. He and Pete [Wicks, Sam’s BFF and podcast co-host] should have their own TV show.”
And they’re not the only ones. Josie is also keen to follow in the footsteps of her pal Alison, 49 – who is set to front a new BBC series entitled Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend – and host her own show.
“I would love to do that,” she admits. “But I think every day I’m trying to perfect my craft, so I feel I need a bit more time to learn. Every day I try to learn something new.
“I hate watching myself on TV, so I never do. What’s more important to me is to know that I can get better. I’m determined to be the best I can be at my job.”