This Morning’s Josie Gibson turns shocking childhood tragedy into her biggest achievement as she turns 40

It’s difficult to imagine turning on This Morning and not witnessing Josie Gibson’s upbeat smile that adds a little infectious energy to the proceedings. One of Bristol’s most famous exports, she celebrates her 40th birthday this week. And it’s undoubtedly a distant memory from her former career as a financial sales representative, who reportedly pleaded with producers in 2010 that she had “turned into a loser” and that she had lost her game.

The mum-of-one hits the milestone on 24 January, but has big plans to make the celebrations last much, much longer. “I’m going to treat the whole year like it’s my birthday because it’s a big milestone”, she told OK!. “I’m going to book a skiing holiday to Val d’Isere! I’ve always wanted to do that”.

Her year-long birthday celebrations will undoubtedly include everything that Josie values most, including her six-year-old son Reggie, her friends, many of whom she met long before her Big Brother days, and some of the famous friends she’s made so far.

Although Josie has a lot to celebrate, especially considering her modest beginnings as a child rearer with five siblings on the outskirts of Bristol, it is unlikely that her infancy will have had a significant impact on the actor.

She told us last summer, “I try to live my entire life like I’m not going to be here tomorrow, and I always take every chance with both hands. I don’t like to let an opportunity go.”

Josie has come out as one of the most down-to-earth celebrities in the industry, but it hasn’t been an easy road. She emerged victorious and well on her way to becoming a national treasure.

There’s been family tragedy, personal heartbreak, the dramatic domino effect at This Morning triggered by Phillip Schofield’s departure, and the struggle of adjusting to being a single mum. However, she has a strong body and has made a lot of good decisions over the past 15 years, despite the fact that her 2023 appearance on I’m a Celebrity (where she finished fourth) didn’t quite live up to her Big Brother success.

She just started running her own Christmas program on Channel 4, continues to hold the highly coveted presenter position at This Morning, and has a lot to celebrate in her fifth decade.

Another former Big Brother star who has always championed Josie is Alison Hammond, who turns 50 in February. Life is better with Josie in the world, according to the Bake Off host, and the two parties are in agreement.

“You are so very special”, Josie once wrote in a birthday shout-out. “You bring so much joy to people’s lives, including mine. Both inside and out, you are gorgeous. You supported me, pushed me to new places, and made me laugh along the way.

However, Josie’s son Reggie is undoubtedly her most gratifying accomplishment so far, aside from her friends and work. And her biggest “luxury in life” isn’t anything material, she told us recently, it’s simply snuggling up for evening cuddles with her little one.

“He’s changing all the time and as much as you don’t want your kids to get any older, seeing this little person that you’ve made growing up is just so special”, she said. Since Reggie and I are big snugglers, snuggling up and watching a movie together is what makes up my biggest life luxury.

Josie deserves praise for navigating co-parenting in the public eye after splitting from Reggie’s father, property developer Terry Bond, a few months after Reggie’s birth in 2018.

She has never shied away from discussing her life as a single mother and has always done so while maintaining a commendable level of respect and honesty about the realities of the situation. “I mean, we’re not perfect and we’ve had our ups and downs, but, at the end of the day, we’re really lucky”, she told OK!.

“Reggie’s got a mum that loves him very much, and a dad that loves him very much, and that’s what matters. I’m very fortunate he’s got the daddy he’s got. He would never give up on Reggie and would remain committed to him forever, which is everything I value.

Given some of Josie’s own childhood experiences, her words about surrounding Reggie with love are far more than platitudes. Josie was the eldest of six children born in South Gloucestershire in 1985, raising three boys and three girls from her mother, a horse trainer, Mandy Gibson. Amanda has previously mentioned how they continue to be a “traveller family,” with her taking the kids camping out in a caravan for eight weeks without running water, gas, or electricity for the summer holidays.

“When you live in the van then you don’t waste water, electricity or your time”, she said. “We’ve always had horses, traps and carriages. We live a simple way of life because we are that simple.

Josie lost her father, who has never been publicly named, when she was just 10, and her uncle was later convicted of his manslaughter. Her maternal instinct is strong, which may be attributed to the sudden loss. “When I see Reggie with his dad, I love it so much, I didn’t have that growing up”, she said last year. “It’s so beautiful to see”.

As Josie approaches her milestone birthday, it’s a reminder that she was just 24 when she was picked to enter Big Brother. Even at that age though, producers knew they’d found something special. Josie won a sizable 77.5% of the vote in the final, leaving the other four finalists with a meager 22.5% between them after receiving a ticket to the final from her housemates on day 66.

After climbing the stairs to the door, she found a new love interest in housemate John James Parton, who she had surrounded her with a paper bag in order to calm her nerves. But her romance with the Australian was short-lived, and they split up in 2011.

On Loose Women, she said, “He admitted to loving me, but he wasn’t in love with me the way he should be.” When I’m really bitter, trying to be dignified about it is the hardest thing to do.

Two years later, Josie got engaged after a six-month relationship to plumber Luke Sanwo, who she met at a music festival. But by 2015 they’d called it off. Josie hasn’t had a serious relationship with Reggie’s father Terry in a long time, but Josie recently revealed to us that she’s completely okay with that. “It wouldn’t be fair on them”, she said on the topic of partners. Where would anyone fit in the phrase “where is my time divided between my son and my career”?

But given her ability to throw 110% at whatever she’s doing and to embrace new opportunities, there’s every chance that her 41st year will have more than just a ski trip and a few parties in store for her, especially as she’s all about the “experiences and connections”.

She says, “Even when I’m shattered and think, ‘ Oh I can’t do that, ‘ I will make myself get up and do it, because life isn’t about material things. You’re not taking your belongings to the grave, you’re taking your experiences and connections”.

Happy birthday, Josie!

Source: Mirror