Josie Gibson has delighted viewers with her stint as the stand-in summer presenter on This Morning, while Holly Willoughby takes her usual break from the show.
Appearing on screen alongside co-host Craig Doyle, the former Big Brother star has won over viewers with her down-to-earth demeanour.
While it’s been a huge rise to success for Josie, more recently she and Holly have appeared more similar than ever, amid claims bosses hope they’ll prove a solid duo when they reunite on the This Morning sofa in September.
Holly will continue to front This Morning with a rotation of different co-hosts this autumn as the show looks to distance itself from Phillip Schofield following his dramatic exit in May.
Phillip stepped down from ITV’s hit daytime programme then sensationally quit the broadcaster altogether after admitting he lied to The Mail on Sunday about his affair with a colleague.
Is Josie Gibson morphing into Holly Willoughby? Presenter is the spitting image of This Morning co-star during summer hosting stint after being deemed a ‘safe bet’ by bosses
Wingwoman: While it’s been a huge rise to success for Josie, more recently she and Holly have appeared more similar than ever
Josie’s latest on-screen looks are akin to the stylish ensembles Holly has long been sporting on the This Morning sofa.
And like her co-host the star has also been branching out into other television work, with reports swirling that she’s landed a ‘six-figure mega deal’ to appear on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! later this year.
It came in the wake of a huge bidding war with BBC bosses, who were hoping to sign Josie for Strictly Come Dancing.
This Morning bosses have thrown their support behind Josie, after the show faced huge scrutiny after it was revealed that Schofield lied about having an affair with a younger colleague.
Insiders say the fact that she is open and ‘ordinary’ means ITV bosses ‘adore her’, while those watching at home find her relatable.
ITV’s director of television Kevin Lygo also has a connection: his daughter is one of Ms Gibson’s agents.
Ms Gibson is also close to another of This Morning’s presenters, Alison Hammond. The pair are such good friends that they have even spent Christmases together with their sons.
After winning Big Brother in 2010 thanks to her bubbly personality, the star – mum to four-year-old Reggie – has quietly carved a path to the top of daytime TV.
Pals: Josie was at Holly’s side when she returned to This Morning in June, following Phillip Schofield’s scandalous exit
Moving from brief appearances as an occasional guest presenter – hosting the show’s competitions, it’s clear that producers now have bigger plans for the star, as she was trusted to be by Holly’s side in the show’s darkest hour yesterday.
Having suffered her own personal heartache – the father of her son left her just weeks after the birth – Gibson is well placed to deal with the emotional stories that come to the This Morning sofa – and has become a favourite with the show’s fans.
The eldest of six children brought up by her single mother, Mandy, in Bristol, Gibson has made no secret about her love of spending time with her siblings and extended family back in the West Country.
Her strong regional accent has endeared her to the This Morning audience, and even to those who’ve graced the sofa.
Actor James Purefoy, who hails from Somerset, broke down in tears last year saying Gibson’s accent reminded him of home.
Josie shot to fame after winning the final Channel 4 series of Big Brother back in 2010 – and her popularity with TV audiences was obvious even back then.
On the show, she fell for Melbourne DJ John James Parton. The couple met in the Big Brother UK house in 2010 and enjoyed a nine month whirlwind romance that was documented on spin-off show, There’s Something About Josie.
The couple split after Josie accused John of cheating in 2011, which he previously denied, before they seemingly lost touch and John returned to Australia, starring on Love Island.
After Big Brother, Ms Gibson capitalised on her popularity through the sale of themed merchandise – including a perfume named Josie.
She also sold hoodies and tops, became an ambassador for Curvissa clothing and began a career in showbusiness journalism.
In 2011, she featured on the Channel 5 show OK! TV as a reporter and presenter before the show was cancelled at the end of the same year. A year later, she became a columnist for celebrity magazine Now.
A doting single parent, Gibson split with the father of her son, Reggie James, in 2018, just months after giving birth.
Dynamic duo: Holly will continue to front This Morning with a rotation of different co-hosts this autumn as the show looks to distance itself from Phillip Schofield in the wake of his exit
Major news: Like her co-host, the star has also been branching out into other television work, with reports swirling that she’s landed a ‘six-figure mega deal’ to appear on I’m A Celebrity
Speaking to New! Magazine at the time, the heartbroken star announced the split, saying her ex partner Terry had ejected her from his home on New Year’s Eve leading to a lonely stint in a hotel with Reggie, now four, to ring in the new year.
She claimed her beau’s OCD battle caused an explosive row which led to him packing her bags and booting her out of his house, after which she moved to a hotel and stayed there for ‘worst New Year’s Eve ever’.
Following a difficult birth, Josie and her partner Terry had thought the worst was over – but Reggie ended up fighting for his life in hospital.
Hopes of Gibson becoming the saviour of This Morning were looking ever more likely as she and Holly fronted the show together before her summer break.
It’s been a quick ascent to the main gig; the show’s former competition announcer was only promoted to presenter only 18 months ago as a last-minute stand-in when Holly Willoughby could not appear.
Her down-to-earth demeanour immediately made her a favourite with the viewers and she has since covered occasionally for Ms Willoughby.
Even Eamonn Holmes, who’s been highly critical of both Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in recent weeks, is a fan.
Discussing Monday’s show with GB News co-star Isabel Webster he said: ‘The star of the show yesterday, for me, was Josie Gibson. It’s lovely to hear a West Country accent, isn’t it?’ Eamonn commented.
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