With her warm personality and down-to-earth, relatable nature, it’s no wonder Josie Gibson is one of the most popular presenters on daytime TV right now.
The 38-year-old from Bristol has enjoyed a steady rise to fame since bursting onto our TV screens on Big Brother in 2010, and has since bagged a coveted role as a key presenter on This Morning, but she's revealed that she had a panic attack in her early days on set.
It was Josie who was there to support Holly Willoughby as she made her tearful return to the show, following weeks of controversy and the departure of former co-host Phillip Schofield.
Chatting to us while promoting her new ASMR video for Cadbury Brunch Bars, a self-effacing Josie is excited about her ever-growing popularity but admits she’s had moments when her live TV appearances have been overwhelming.
Although she tells us her whole TV career has been a “complete fluke”, she’s full of praise for ITV, which she says has “really looked after her” despite accusations from past staffers regarding its “toxic culture”.
Subtly alluding to the recent scandal surrounding This Morning, Josie reflects, “There have been highs and lows, but it’s been a lovely journey.”
Recalling how ITV has supported her progress, Josie tells us, “I wasn’t a very good presenter at the start, because I couldn’t see the autocue, but then I had my eyes lasered, and This Morning gave me a chance.
“Fair play to the show – they even stuck with me after I had a panic attack in the studio because I was so nervous. But they really nurtured me and they’ve been brilliant to me.
“I cannot believe I work on This Morning. I actually cannot get over it,” she smiles. “If someone had told me I’d present one of the biggest daytime TV shows I would have laughed in their face. I feel so grateful and honoured.”
When we chat to Josie she’s enjoying a day off from her presenting duties and chilling out at a local outdoor swimming pool with her four-year-old son, Reggie, and a gaggle of his small pals.
And it seems she may not be the only one struggling with her TV appearances. When we ask how he’s reacting to her becoming more well known, she asks him sweetly, “Reg, do you know I’m on TV?,” to which he answers, “No mummy, I watch YouTube and I don’t want to see you on that.”
Josie’s rise has been unconventional, to say the least, since she appeared on the iconic reality show Big Brother in 2010, and was named as winner before becoming a regular segment presenter for This Morning.
She soon found herself in some hilarious Bridget Jones-style situations, such as testing out rollercoasters as her side-splitting reactions were filmed.
But in 2021, ITV bosses stepped up her role and she became a relief presenter on the show when main co-hosts went on holiday, and viewers have loved having her on their screens ever since.
So what’s Josie’s secret to a successful career in television? “Always be polite to everybody,” she tells us wisely. “Be even more polite to the people at the bottom, because the ones who are making your tea and coffee, one day they will be your editors and they will be your producers.”
It’s no secret that Josie is firm friends with her This Morning colleagues, Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond, and strong female friendships are very important to her.
“I was raised by strong women and I’ve always had them in my life,” she says. “I’m a girls’ girl – I love female company and I think the power of a woman is so special.
“I love to see women, and my friends, do well and really try and get the results they deserve. Friends are always there for each other, they’re there in your darkest times and they always put a smile back on your face. Friendship is so important to me.”
Talking about her latest project, Josie admits with her recognisable cackle that she’s crunched her way through plenty of Brunch Bars already, making an ASMR video that shows how to turn the most “mundane things into pleasurable experiences”.
“I am a snack lover, there’s no doubt about that,” she admits. “Cadbury has researched the link between the noise food makes and our pleasure from it. I never realised the power sound has on the experience.”
Looking fabulous as always, Josie has been open about her weight worries and self-image from the beginning, but says that becoming a mum has done a huge amount for her body confidence.
“Don’t get me wrong – we all have our days don’t we?” she says. “But when I had Reg I was just confident in my body, because of what it was able to do, I thought it was unbelievable. So I felt totally different after
I had him. You just have a lot of respect for it. I think I really came into myself after that.”
Cadbury Brunch Bar has teamed up with TV presenter Josie Gibson to elevate snack time with ASMR content that showcases how the snack bar’s simple ingredients, can turn into culinary heroes that are actually tasty.
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