{"id":89599,"date":"2025-08-24T13:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T13:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/89599\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T13:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T13:38:09","slug":"josie-gibsons-real-reason-for-disappearing-from-tv-amid-new-job-ive-stepped-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/89599\/","title":{"rendered":"Josie Gibson’s real reason for disappearing from TV amid new job – ‘I’ve stepped back’"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Morning star Josie Gibson opens up on toughening up, building an eco house and why she has adjusted her work schedule to spend more time at home<\/p>\n

08:00, 24 Aug 2025Updated 11:22, 24 Aug 2025<\/p>\n

\"JosieJosie wants to make the most of the time while Reggie is still young(Image: Ken McKay\/ITV\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Josie Gibson is just wrapping up a summer of adventures with her son Reggie, six, and admits it\u2019s been an \u201ceye opening\u201d experience as a single mum. The This Morning<\/a> presenter is also in the middle of a hugely challenging project \u2013 building her own eco house in the West Country – and every hurdle and achievement is being filmed by TV cameras.<\/p>\n

As she sits down to chat about how things are going, she reflects on her own childhood memories of summer – which, she reveals, included a few little tricks pulled by her mum – and the traditions she\u2019s trying to carry on with her son. She also gets candid about how she copes herself a single mum, and why it’s so important to pull together to help each other out.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Hobbycraft to launch new venture with stores closing across the UK<\/a>\"JosieJosie has recently taken on her biggest challenge to date – building her own eco-home(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n

Hi Josie! You turned 40 in January \u2013 how have your forties been so far?<\/p>\n

Well, I\u2019ve taken on a few challenges recently and made my life incredibly hard work \u2013 but I\u2019m hoping I can pull them off. Then I want to really slow down.<\/p>\n

Is this you building your own eco house?!<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s been something else. You have a dream and then go for it, but you forget there are some hurdles in the way. So I\u2019ll hopefully get the dream, but it\u2019s a lot of work to get there. There have been moments where I\u2019ve thought, \u201cLet\u2019s just sell it now and run.\u201d But it\u2019s being filmed for a TV show, so I need to finish.<\/p>\n

Will you be living off-grid?<\/p>\n

As off-grid as humanly possible, but still being able to functionally live. I want to live off the land as much as I can and get a little allotment going, which I\u2019ve never had. All my family are involved in helping me \u2013 I\u2019ve got the best of Bristol on it so I\u2019m hoping I can build a showstopper.<\/p>\n

\"JosieThe presenter loves being around nature(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

Tell us about the Iceland Summer Stars campaign you\u2019re involved in\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about those people who you rely on to help out in life. You can nominate some of those people who just make life easier \u2013 people who go the extra mile. They\u2019re the people at holiday clubs or friends who help look after and keep your children fed. It\u2019s a way to say thank you \u2013 and they can win a \u00a3100 Iceland gift card and a \u00a3200 Love 2 Shop holiday voucher.<\/p>\n

Is it hard juggling work with being a single parent?<\/p>\n

It can be, yes. A lot of my work comes through the summer holidays because I\u2019m covering for people. So this year I made a conscious decision to step back and I spent a lot more time with Reggie over the summer than I\u2019d normally get to do.<\/p>\n

Do you have lots of Summer Stars in your own life?<\/p>\n

The school summer holidays have really opened my eyes as to who is there for me. It seems to be a time when everyone comes together. We all have those moments where you start sweating and worrying about logistics, especially if you\u2019re working and have kids. I honestly can\u2019t thank my neighbours enough \u2013 they\u2019ve been amazing with Reggie. There\u2019s a big group of single mums and we all take it in turns to have the children. You\u2019ve got to.<\/p>\n

\"JosieJosie has been making the most of her time with son Reggie<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve been doing some Josie daycare too?<\/p>\n

Yes. I\u2019ve loved having other people\u2019s kids too. Childcare costs are through the roof so we\u2019ve all been doing our bit.<\/p>\n

Was your own childhood very different from Reggie\u2019s?<\/p>\n

My mum did the best she could. She was a single mum and there were four of us. In the summer, we would pack up all our stuff, get in the car and think we\u2019re going somewhere exotic. She\u2019d drive round our local area \u2013 but we\u2019d think we were going really far \u2013 and go to a field three-and-a-half miles away. She\u2019d set up the tent by this beautiful quarry. It was the best childhood ever.<\/p>\n

Are there similar things you try to do with Reggie?<\/p>\n

When you\u2019ve been brought up going to festivals, it never leaves you. We used to go to Appleby Horse Fair and Stourpaine. So I took Reggie to Camp Bestival and had the best time. We live in one of the world<\/a> \u2019s most beautiful countries, so why would we want to go anywhere else?<\/p>\n

\"JosieJosie wants to make amazing memories with her son(Image: @josiegibson85\/Instagram)<\/p>\n

Do you feel proud of the life you can give him now?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been able to do things with Reggie that I wouldn\u2019t even have dreamed of, let alone him. So yes, I am proud of that and that I\u2019m able to provide a good life for him.<\/p>\n

Have you changed much since you became famous?<\/p>\n

I think I\u2019m a lot tougher now \u2013 I have to be. I think I was really, really soft, probably too soft. But you have to toughen up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a lot of talk about changes in the TV industry at the moment\u2026<\/p>\n

Yes. There\u2019s a saying that \u201cuncertainty can be the spice of life\u201d, but that doesn\u2019t apply when there are changes that potentially put people\u2019s jobs at risk.<\/p>\n

There are so many talented people in this industry so I know everyone will be alright at the end of it all. It\u2019s important to remember, with everything on the line, that there\u2019s more demand for content and more content being created than ever. I want everyone to do well.<\/p>\n

\"JosieJosie wants everyone in the TV industry to ‘do well'(Image: Getty Images)\"JosieOne of Josie’s best pals – on and off-screen – is her This Morning colleague Alison Hammond(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

How easy do you find it to block out the work chatter?<\/p>\n

I just take people and things at face value. I\u2019ve been working with these people for years and they\u2019re the most hard-working, loveliest bunch I\u2019ve ever worked with in my life. I just don\u2019t pay too much attention to talk.<\/p>\n

We imagine your colleague Alison Hammond is a favourite of yours\u2026<\/p>\n

Oh God, I love that woman. She is so funny and the most hard-working woman I\u2019ve ever met. I love Al \u2013 she\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n

* Nominations for Iceland\u2019s Summer Stars campaign are open. To nominate someone or for details, see iceland.co.uk\/summer<\/p>\n

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok <\/a>, Snapchat <\/a>, Instagram <\/a>, Twitter <\/a>, Facebook <\/a>, YouTube <\/a>and Threads <\/a>.<\/p>\n