Big Brother winner Josie Gibson hopes to become This Morning’s saviour when she helps Holly

Entertainment
By Liam

Big Brother winner Josie Gibson hopes to become This Morning’s savior when she helps Holly Willoughby

By Mary O’Connor

published: | Updated:

She’s the sparkling, blonde Bristolian who hopes to be the savior of This Morning this week.

Josie Gibson, the show’s former competition announcer, was promoted to presenter just 18 months ago as a last-minute stand-in when Holly Willoughby was unable to appear. Her down-to-earth demeanor made her an instant favorite with viewers and she has covered for Mrs. Willoughby on and off since then.

Now she’s tasked with the biggest challenge in This Morning’s 35-year history – to replace Phillip Schofield and sit next to Ms. Willoughby as her co-host.

The ITV show has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after it was revealed that Schofield lied about an affair with a younger colleague.

Insiders say the fact that former Big Brother winner Ms Gibson is open and ‘ordinary’ means ITV bosses ‘adore her’, while those watching at home find her relatable.

Savior: Josie Gibson (pictured), the show’s former competition announcer, was only promoted to presenter as a last-minute stand-in 18 months ago when Holly Willoughby was unable to appear

Substitution: Ms Gibson is tasked with the biggest challenge in This Morning history ¿ to replace Phillip Schofield and sit next to Holly Willoughby (right) as her co-presenter

Replacement: Ms Gibson is tasked with the biggest challenge in This Morning history – to replace Phillip Schofield and sit next to Holly Willoughby (right) as her co-presenter

Ms Willoughby, who returns tomorrow after a two-week break, is also a fan and is delighted to be back on the couch with another woman.

Bye, bye, any car! Phil was left out in the cold

  • Boots de drugstore does not renew the contract for its range of Christmas kitchenware.
  • We Buy Any Car, the used car company, ended its deal last year following the Queuegate controversy during Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state.
  • When In Rome, his wine company (above left), which produced a range of boxed vintages, says the three-year partnership is over. All mentions have been removed from the website and social media accounts.
  • Princess Cruises, a vacation company he and his wife Stephanie Lowe (above right) fronted. Their deal ended before ITV’s furore.
  • King Charles’s charity Prince’s Trust removed Schofield as ambassador, saying it is ‘no longer appropriate’ to work with him.
  • A host of other TV jobs are gone. The Cube, an ITV game show, is not coming back. And he had to hand over the role of presenter at the British Soap Awards to singer Jane McDonald last night. It was the first time since 2006 that Schofield was not the presenter at the event.

ITV’s television director Kevin Lygo also has a connection: his daughter is one of Ms Gibson’s agents.

Ms. Gibson is also close to another This Morning presenter, Alison Hammond. The pair are so good friends that they even spent Christmas together with their sons.

Ms Gibson, 38, rose to fame in 2010 when she won Big Brother – with an impressive 77 per cent of the public’s vote.

After the show, Mrs. Gibson capitalized on her popularity by selling themed items, including a perfume called Josie.

She also sold hoodies and tops, became an ambassador for Curvissa clothing, and launched a career in show business journalism.

In 2011, she appeared in the Channel 5 show OK! TV as a reporter and presenter before the show’s cancellation at the end of the same year. A year later, she became a columnist for Now magazine.

She has since been open about her struggles with her weight and has lost six stone since becoming famous.

She has also starred in numerous TV shows including ITV’s Loose Women as well as her own reality shows John James And Josie: What Happened Next and There’s Something About Josie.

Mrs. Gibson has a four-year-old son named Reggie-James, but she separated from his father just four months after he was born.

Earlier this year, she shared photos in Paris with This Morning cinematographer Sam Morter, and one shot showed the pair holding hands.

But she insisted, “I’m still single. . . I couldn’t pull a cracker.”

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