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

Josie wants to make the most of the time while Reggie is still young(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Josie Gibson is just wrapping up a summer of adventures with her son Reggie, six, and admits it’s been an “eye opening” experience as a single mum. The This Morning presenter is also in the middle of a hugely challenging project – building her own eco house in the West Country – and every hurdle and achievement is being filmed by TV cameras.

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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’s 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.

 

Josie has recently taken on her biggest challenge to date – building her own eco-home(Image: ITV)

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Hi Josie! You turned 40 in January – how have your forties been so far?

Well, I’ve taken on a few challenges recently and made my life incredibly hard work – but I’m hoping I can pull them off. Then I want to really slow down.

Is this you building your own eco house?!

Yes, it’s been something else. You have a dream and then go for it, but you forget there are some hurdles in the way. So I’ll hopefully get the dream, but it’s a lot of work to get there. There have been moments where I’ve thought, “Let’s just sell it now and run.” But it’s being filmed for a TV show, so I need to finish.

Will you be living off-grid?

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’ve never had. All my family are involved in helping me – I’ve got the best of Bristol on it so I’m hoping I can build a showstopper.

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The presenter loves being around nature(Image: PA)

Tell us about the Iceland Summer Stars campaign you’re involved in…

It’s 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 – people who go the extra mile. They’re the people at holiday clubs or friends who help look after and keep your children fed. It’s a way to say thank you – and they can win a £100 Iceland gift card and a £200 Love 2 Shop holiday voucher.

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Is it hard juggling work with being a single parent?

It can be, yes. A lot of my work comes through the summer holidays because I’m 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’d normally get to do.

Do you have lots of Summer Stars in your own life?

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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’re working and have kids. I honestly can’t thank my neighbours enough – they’ve been amazing with Reggie. There’s a big group of single mums and we all take it in turns to have the children. You’ve got to.

Josie has been making the most of her time with son Reggie

So you’ve been doing some Josie daycare too?

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Yes. I’ve loved having other people’s kids too. Childcare costs are through the roof so we’ve all been doing our bit.

Was your own childhood very different from Reggie’s?

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’re going somewhere exotic. She’d drive round our local area – but we’d think we were going really far – and go to a field three-and-a-half miles away. She’d set up the tent by this beautiful quarry. It was the best childhood ever.

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Are there similar things you try to do with Reggie?

When you’ve 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 ’s most beautiful countries, so why would we want to go anywhere else?

Josie wants to make amazing memories with her son(Image: @josiegibson85/Instagram)

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Do you feel proud of the life you can give him now?

I’ve been able to do things with Reggie that I wouldn’t even have dreamed of, let alone him. So yes, I am proud of that and that I’m able to provide a good life for him.

Have you changed much since you became famous?

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I think I’m a lot tougher now – I have to be. I think I was really, really soft, probably too soft. But you have to toughen up.

There’s been a lot of talk about changes in the TV industry at the moment…

Yes. There’s a saying that “uncertainty can be the spice of life”, but that doesn’t apply when there are changes that potentially put people’s jobs at risk.

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

Josie wants everyone in the TV industry to ‘do well’(Image: Getty Images)

One of Josie’s best pals – on and off-screen – is her This Morning colleague Alison Hammond(Image: Getty Images)

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How easy do you find it to block out the work chatter?

I just take people and things at face value. I’ve been working with these people for years and they’re the most hard-working, loveliest bunch I’ve ever worked with in my life. I just don’t pay too much attention to talk.

We imagine your colleague Alison Hammond is a favourite of yours…

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Oh God, I love that woman. She is so funny and the most hard-working woman I’ve ever met. I love Al – she’s cool.