Josie Gibson’s wellness journey: Weight loss, finding balance and becoming body confident

Josie Gibson has stepped in to present alongside Holly Willoughby for her return to This Morning on Monday, replacing Phillip Schofield.

Gibson, 38, has worked on the show since 2019 when she was first booked as a competition announcer, going on to become a regular segment presenter. It is not clear yet whether she will now appear permanently on the sofa with Willoughby.

Other than being a much-loved TV presenter and personality, she has also become known for the wellness journey she's been on since 2010, sharing updates with viewers and fans. Here's a look at some key moments.

Weight loss journey begins

Gibson first entered the spotlight in 2010 when she won Big Brother (fans will recall her relationship with John James on the show), before deciding to lose weight.

"I first embarked on a weight loss journey in 2013 when I shed 6st over a year with a combination of healthy eating and exercise," she told Closer magazine in 2021.

It was around 2013 that she made the extreme transition from a size 20 to a size 8-10, and released her workout DVD 30 Second Slim. She also released the DVD Josie Gibson's 21 Day Fat Burn that same year, and her book The Josie Gibson Diet in 2014, in which she describes cutting out sugar and processed food.

In 2016, she reportedly had surgery to remove excess skin following her weight loss.

Then, when pregnant with son Reggie, who she welcomed in September 2018, she said she put on around four and a half stone, understandably. "I managed to get back on track after being warned I was at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but I fell off the wagon again," she told Closer.

Finding balance

In more recent years, she has shifted her focus to wellness and striving to maintain a healthy weight that suits her, while helping to normalise women's changing bodies.

In 2019, she posted to Instagram another update to her journey, showing what was most important. "Yes I'd like to lose some more weight but I'm really proud of my weight loss with @dotheunthinkableuk but really I'm incredibly proud of my body in general," she wrote.

In a self-shot video, she also said to the camera, "I am a girl, I've breast-fed a baby, my tits can get a bit saggy, I've got cellulite galore, but I'm just working with what I've got, and I bloody love it, it's made a baby."

Read more: My holiday photos made me determined to lose weight and change my body

In January 2021, she said she wanted it to be her "year of wellness". "I’m currently a size 18 and, while I love and appreciate my body, I’d like to overhaul my diet and fitness and get back to a healthy size 12 again," she told Closer, putting overall health before just being 'thin'.

Gibson said she wanted to commit to sorting out her sleeping patterns, drinking more water, doing 30-45 minutes of exercise at least three times a week and eating a clean, healthy diet, finding it easier to set herself smaller, realistic targets.

Later that year in April, she reportedly shared via Instagram that she had gone down to a size 14. "I haven't weighed myself for a while as I’m waiting on scales but I could not get in these trousers in December or January [sic] we are now early March and for the first time in a long time these size 14 are on," she said.

Gibson added, "It's been the most giving weight loss plan I've ever been on and there has been no pressure just lots of love from @ww.uk coaches, consultants and the community."

Read more: 12 expert-approved weight loss tips good for both body and mind

Looking back on her initial weight loss, and admitting she's struggled with ups and downs, she also told Closer in June 2021, "I don’t want to be really, really slim because it just kills me to get there – it takes a lot of exercise. I used to cycle to the gym, do two HIIT sessions back to back and then cycle home again. I was so fit, but how can you do that with a two year old? I’m a mum with a job so it’s not do-able any more."

She added, "I did enjoy being super-skinny, when you’ve been fat all your life it was great being there. I felt like Pamela Anderson when I was a size 8.

"It was lovely! But even now I’m comfortable wearing bikinis because I’m happy with my curves."

Becoming body confident

In November 2022, she spoke about how her priority is striking the right balance while still living life to the max.

"I think after I had Reggie, my little one is four years old now, I was instantly more body confident because your body has done something so spectacular, you can't do anything but love it," she told The Sun.

"It's made a lovely little boy for me, and you can't help but love it after because it's so brilliant that my body was able to do that. After I had Reg I was always more body confident anyway whatever size.

"I think I honestly came into myself when I had Reg, more confident, I view myself more as a woman, and my career started off when I had Reg."

Read more: After 17 years of dieting, I’ve finally stopped and learned to love myself as I am

On the pressures of 'looking good' on TV, she said, "Well I love having my hair and make-up done, everyone loves to look nice but do I feel pressure? No."

An advocate of eating natural foods, she often promotes these types of products on her Instagram, including alcohol-free beers. Having claimed in 2017 that she put on a stone from drinking larger, in February 2023 she said on Loose Women, "Honestly I don't normally drink", after a booze-filled birthday party for Alison Hammond.

Watch: Alison Hammond surprised by Josie Gibson for her 20-year anniversary at This Morning