From competing in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to being a regular presenter on This Morning and now starring in Iceland adverts, Josie Gibson is a woman we just can’t get off our screens.
And why would we want to? Since winning the 11th series of Big Brother in 2010, Josie has become a firm TV favourite, known for her brilliant sense of humour and Bristolian charm.
The TV star says her diary is absolutely bursting at the seams, and now she’s teamed up with her five-year-old son Reggie to help highlight a dairy deficit in kids’ diets.
The duo are backing a campaign that will replicate the iconic “Got milk?” adverts, but this time with children’s yoghurt.
Busy though she is, she manages to fit us in to catch up with her about her This Morning ambitions, treating herself to a ‘new body’ before her 40th next year and those Stephen Mulhern dating rumours…
Josie, how are you? What does being a part of This Morning mean to you?
I’m great, thanks. On This Morning, I just love the support and they’ve been so good to me. They are like a proper family, like they’re friends. They’ve really got my back and I can’t thank them enough for that. It’s brilliant.
What are your favourite moments on set?
I went and interviewed Simon Cowell the other day. He is so lovely – such a nice bloke.
You can sit down and have a proper conversation with him and he cares about you and cares about your life. I’ve gone and done a bit of rap in front of him and in my head I’m Nicki Minaj. But really I was like a worse version of Honey G.
Who’s the biggest character on This Morning?
Alison! She’s the funniest – you know when somebody makes you cry laughing? She makes me cry. Our energies just match. And sometimes when we film together, they’re like, “What are we going to do because you two just can’t stop laughing?”
Do you have hopes of taking over as the main presenter?
The thing is, I actually feel like I am because I’m on This Morning, I’ve got my dream gig and I do a bit of everything. I do a bit in the studio, I can go on the road, do a competition. I’m an all-rounder I think. I love being able to do everything so, between us, I think I’ve got the best gig.
Beyond presenting, do you have any big career dreams like acting or music?
Oh, I would love to, but I think I’m just going to stick as a TV presenter for now and really perfect my craft. Because every day as a TV presenter you’re perfecting your craft and you just want to get better and better, but that takes time.
You were seen holding hands with Stephen Mulhern earlier this month. Tell us, are you two dating?
Stephen? Oh, he’s so lovely. We are really good friends, I really adore him, but there’s no romance in the air. But he’s so nice. Every bloke that I come in contact with, the press seems to think that I’m having it off with them. People must think I’m a right goer. I’m not like that. To be with somebody or to even kiss somebody, I’ve really got to love them. I’ve really got to really be into them. I can’t give my energy over when I’m not completely into it. You know when you get that magic connection? For me it only comes around like once every seven years or eight years. I love the love because those are very, very special [moments] when you find them.
You are looking incredible. What are your big fitness secrets?
It’s very hard to keep to any sort of routine, because my diary is just everywhere. But I said I would like to treat myself to a new body by the time I’m 40 and I’m 39. I’ll be 40 in January. So I’ve just started running. I’ve just started doing weights. I’ve got a training plan. I’m telling you about it now so I put a bit of pressure on myself. My hairstylist has got me doing the 5km [runs], but it’s really hard. I really would like to get better at it and I’d like to sign up to do a proper run.
Do you feel body confident?
Ever since I’ve had Reg I’ve had a new respect for my body anyway. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always been a work in progress. I’ve gone a bit up and down. Some people are consistently the same size. But I’ve never been like that ever. I’ve never been one size or able to stick at that size. So, yeah, it’s a work in progress.
We loved you on I’m A Celeb last year. Do you keep in touch with the other campmates?
Yes, we are in a group chat. And I was out with Marvin [Humes] last night. We all talk about bumping into each other and Frankie Dettori gives us updates from America doing all his horses. Sam [Thompson] works with us at This Morning now too, so that’s amazing.
How do you look back on your time in the jungle?
It did change me as a person because I cared more. When I did TV before, I didn’t really care that much. Before I didn’t have anything to lose. The last bit of reality TV I ever did like that was Big Brother. I just didn’t care then – I was so naive.
You’re involved in a campaign with Yoplait. Tell us about it…
Well, Reggie’s been on the Petits Filous since he was a baby. We’ve always got the Peppa Pig yoghurts and we are both obsessed with Frubes. So when they got in touch, I was like, “Well, yes, because since Reggie was a baby, he’s been brought up on your stuff.” Then they did a bit of research and they found that more kids than ever are going to the sweets and the biscuits and the chocolate. So we put this campaign out there to try to get them back on the yoghurts again, where you know they’re getting their vitamin D and calcium.
Is Reggie a fussy eater?
I’m lucky with Reggie – he likes really good food. He’s a really good eater, actually. Weirdly he loves olives and celery and he’s only five. But, don’t get me wrong, he can be quite naughty. He loves a pancake.
Is he interested in any particular hobbies?
He loves rocks and crystals. I took him to a toy store and said, “You been such a good boy, you can have one thing in here.” He picked a crystal growth kit. So we grow crystals. When we go out, he collects rocks and fossils.
Sounds like we have a future geologist on our hands. What’s the best thing about being his mum?
Oh my God – the laughs. He makes me laugh so much and he’s got such a wicked sense of humour. The things he comes out with are very mature for his age. I’m like, “How do you know that?” I’m so proud of how funny he is.
How difficult was it being away from him in the I’m A Celeb jungle?
It was really, really tough not speaking to your child for a month. I thought I’d be OK because I’d think, “I’m doing this for us. This is going to get us to where we want to go.” But, yeah, I just found it really tough.
Have you experienced any difficult moments as a mum, especially with being a single mum?
I’m quite a lucky single mum because I’ve got a lot of support. Some of the single mums, I just take my hat off to them. I don’t know how they do it. They’re incredible. They’re so strong. A few of my friends are single mums and not only have they got to look after a child on their own – totally on their own – they hold down a job as well. These women need to be absolutely celebrated. Also if you’re a single dad because it’s so hard.
Can being a single mum get quite lonely?
To be honest, since I’ve had him, I don’t suffer from that loneliness. I don’t really ever get lonely and that’s probably why it’s stopped me from finding somebody or dating anyone. He’s just filled a gap, like he’s filled a hole – something that I’ve always wanted.
Josie Gibson and her son Reggie are on a mission with Yoplait to get kids eating more yoghurt again as research shows children are swapping yoghurt for more sugary goods such as biscuits and sweets
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