Josie Gibson has explained why she didn’t replace Holly Willoughby on This Morning.
The Bristol star has been a regular relief presenter on the ITV show since 2019 – but when Holly announced her departure last year, there was speculation that Josie may step into her shoes. However, Cat Deeley, 47, and Ben Shephard, 49, were later revealed as the new faces of This Morning.
The pair replaced Holly and Phillip Schofield, 62, who also left the show last year. Now Josie has revealed why she didn’t end up becoming Holly’s replacement.
READ MORE: Stephen Mulhern and Josie Gibson spark romance rumours as they’re spotted holding hands
READ MORE: Click for more brilliant Daily Star TV stories
In a new interview, Josie revealed that living outside of London with her five year old son Reggie, whom she shares with an ex-partner, would have made it difficult for her to fill one of the vacancies left by Holly and Phil. “If I lived in London I would have loved the job,” she said.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Speaking to MailOnline she added: “But I don’t live in London, I live [in Bath], and this is where I am, and this where my family is this, where my life is.” She went on to say that she will “never get this time back” as a parent to her son, reports OK!.
Josie also revealed that she had “always wanted to be a presenter”, expressing her heartfelt thanks to the producers for spotting “something” in her. She praised This Morning in an interview, saying: “This Morning have been so good to me.”
(Image: No credit)
“I’m ‘juggling’ work and my parenting responsibilities,” she said, praising the This Morning crew for their understanding approach to her family commitments.
Aside from Josie, new hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley took over presenting duties on This Morning in February from Monday to Thursday, while Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary continued their Friday slots. In anticipation of her debut, So You Think You Can Dance’s famed host Cat expressed her delight, saying “I can’t wait to be a part of the team, from the crew and producers, to the brilliant presenters.”
(Image: Getty)
The sense of teamwork and companionship was something she had missed whilst working alone, as she stated “I’ve been hosting solo for the past few years and I’ve really missed that sense of camaraderie, it will be great to be a part of such an incredible team.”
Adding his own thoughts, Ben, a former Good Morning Britain presenter, seemed just as thrilled about this dream job: “This Morning is my dream combination of a lie in, eating cheesecakes and working with a fantastic team! I’m really excited, I’ve loved the show for years and it feels a real privilege to be there Monday to Thursday.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
