Josie Gibson almost had a 'panic attack' before she first presented This Morning
Josie Gibson has recalled being gripped by fear when she was first asked to present This Morning as a last-minute stand-in for an ill Holly Willoughby in 2021.
Josie Gibson "nearly had a panic attack" when she was first asked to host This Morning.
The 40-year-old star presented the ITV daytime show for the first time in 2021 when she filled in for an ill Holly Willoughby at short notice and "couldn't breathe or talk" when she was asked to sit on the famous sofa.
Josie – who had previously hosted This Morning's competition segments – told Best magazine: "I just couldn't believe it... It's still a 'pinch me' moment.
"I was scared to begin with, the first time I went into the studio I nearly had a panic attack. I couldn't breathe or talk.
"But I'm just so thankful to This Morning; they really took a chance on me and then stuck with me!"
Josie has remained as a regular relief presenter on This Morning since and loves the programme's varied nature.
The Big Brother 2010 winner said: "My goodness, that show is like a box of chocolates, as Forrest Gump would say – you never know what you're going to get.
"I love it when it gets really wacky, and it's amazing to have a job where I can be myself and basically get paid to have a laugh!"
Josie lost weight after eating as if it were the 1970s for the two-part Channel 5 show The 1970's Diet and admits that the series was "an eye-opener" for her.
She said: "They wanted someone to take on the kind of lifestyle that someone back then would have had – even though we think of the Seventies as the era of Spam, trifle, liver and things that aren't particularly healthy! Everyone was a lot smaller. So, why was this?
"What I discovered was that everyone was constantly on the move. Nobody sat down, and they walked everywhere. They didn't have the convenience of going to a local takeaway.
"I learned so much – it was an eye-opener."
Josie has been candid about her own struggles with her weight, but insists that she didn't sign up for The 1970s Diet to get in better shape.
The presenter – who has son Reggie, seven, from a previous relationship – said: "It wasn't the reason, no, although, through a series of tests I had done, I discovered that I was healthier and fitter by the end.
"As I've grown older, I've become accepting of my body. Having my son has made me realise what my body's done for me – it's given me the best gift ever.
"There's stuff I'd love to change, but it's a work in progress."
