This Morning's Josie Gibson turns shocking childhood tragedy into her biggest achievement as she turns 40

Josie Gibson is turning 40 today, and as we look at how her life has changed since her record-breaking Big Brother win, we see how a childhood tragedy motivated her in her biggest achievement

It’s hard to imagine switching on This Morning and not seeing Josie Gibson’s beaming face injecting a bit of infectious energy into the proceedings. One of Bristol’s most famous exports, she celebrates her 40th birthday this week. And there’s no doubt that her former life as a financial sales rep – who secured a spot in the Big Brother house back in 2010 with a plea to producers that she’d lost her game and “turned into a loser” – is a distant memory.

The mum-of-one hits the milestone on 24 January, but has big plans to make the celebrations last much, much longer. “I’m going to treat the whole year like it’s my birthday because it’s a big milestone,” she told OK!. “I’m going to book a skiing holiday to Val d’Isere! I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Her year-long birthday celebrations will no doubt include everything that Josie holds dear - her six-year-old son Reggie, her friends, many of whom she met long before her Big Brother days, as well as some of the celebrity pals she’s made since then.

While she has plenty to celebrate – especially given her humble roots growing up on the outskirts of Bristol with five siblings – Josie has always been relatively wise for her years, so entering her forties is unlikely to signal any huge changes for the star.

“I try to live my whole life like I’m not going to be here tomorrow, and I always take every opportunity with both hands – I don’t like to let an opportunity go,” she told us last summer.

Ever since she walked out of the Big Brother house victorious and well on her way to becoming a national treasure, Josie has become known as one of the most down-to-earth celebrities in the industry, but it hasn’t been an easy journey.

There’s been family tragedy, personal heartbreak, the dramatic domino effect at This Morning triggered by Phillip Schofield’s departure, and the struggle of adjusting to being a single mum. But she’s made of strong stuff and her perseverance over the last 15 years has paid off, even if her 2023 appearance on I’m A Celebrity (where she finished fourth) didn’t quite emulate her Big Brother success.

She’s just fronted her own Christmas show on Channel 4, still holds a very coveted presenter spot at This Morning, and is entering her fifth decade with an awful lot to be proud of.

Another former Big Brother star who has always championed Josie is Alison Hammond, who turns 50 in February. The Bake Off host said “life is better with Josie in the world” and the feeling is clearly mutual.

“You are so very special,” Josie once wrote in a birthday shout-out. “You bring so much joy to people’s lives, including mine. You are beautiful inside and out. You have championed me, pushed me to places I was scared to go and made me laugh along the way.”

But aside from friends and work, it’s Josie’s son Reggie who is undoubtedly her proudest achievement so far. And her biggest “luxury in life” isn’t anything material, she told us recently, it’s simply snuggling up for evening cuddles with her little one.

“He’s changing all the time and as much as you don’t want your kids to get any older, seeing this little person that you’ve made growing up is just so special,” she said. “Me and Reggie are big snugglers, so my biggest luxury in life is just snuggling up and watching a film together.”

After separating from Reggie’s dad – property developer Terry Bond, just a few months after Reggie was born in 2018 – Josie has to be commended for the way she’s navigated co-parenting in the public eye.

She’s never shied away from talking about – and normalising – her life as a single mum, while also maintaining a commendable level of honesty and respect about the realities involved. “I mean, we’re not perfect and we’ve had our ups and downs, but, at the end of the day, we’re really lucky,” she told OK!.

“Reggie’s got a mum that loves him very much, and a dad that loves him very much, and that’s what matters. I’m very fortunate he’s got the daddy he’s got. He’d never give up on Reggie and will always be there for him, and that means everything to me.”

Given some of Josie’s own childhood experiences, her words about surrounding Reggie with love are far more than platitudes. Born in South Gloucestershire in 1985, Josie was the eldest of six children – three boys and three girls – and grew up with her mum Mandy Gibson, a horse trainer. Mandy has spoken before about how they held on to their Traveller roots, with her taking the kids travelling in a caravan for eight weeks during the school summer holidays, with no electricity, gas or running water.

“When you live in the van then you don’t waste water, electricity or your time,” she said. “We’ve always had horses, traps and carriages. We are simple people and we live a simple way of life.”

Josie lost her father, who has never been publicly named, when she was just 10, and her uncle was later convicted of his manslaughter. The sudden loss may partly explain why her maternal instinct is so strong. “When I see Reggie with his dad, I love it so much; I didn’t have that growing up,” she said last year. “It’s so beautiful to see.”

As Josie approaches her milestone birthday, it’s a reminder that she was just 24 when she was picked to enter Big Brother. Even at that age though, producers knew they’d found something special. After earning a ticket to the final from her housemates on day 66, Josie went on to attract a huge 77.5% of the public vote in the final, leaving the other four finalists to share a measly 22.5% between them.

When she walked out of the house – after climbing the stairs to the door breathing into a paper bag to calm her nerves – she had not only gained the biggest public vote in the show’s history, she’d also found a new love interest in the shape of housemate John James Parton. But her romance with the Australian was short-lived, and they split up in 2011.

“He admitted to me he did love me but he wasn’t in love with me the way he should be,” she said on Loose Women. “The hardest thing is trying to be dignified about it when really I am really bitter.”

Two years later, Josie got engaged after a six-month relationship to plumber Luke Sanwo, who she met at a music festival. But by 2015 they’d called it off. There hasn’t been anyone else serious since her last high-profile relationship with Reggie’s dad Terry, but Josie revealed to us recently she’s totally fine with that. “It wouldn’t be fair on them,” she said on the topic of partners. “My time is split between my career and my son, where would anyone fit in?”

But given her ability to throw 110% at whatever she’s doing and to embrace new opportunities, there’s every chance that her 41st year will have more than just a ski trip and a few parties in store for her, especially as she’s all about the “experiences and connections”.

She says, “Even when I’m shattered and think, ‘Oh I can’t do that,’ I will make myself get up and do it, because life isn’t about material things. You’re not taking your belongings to the grave, you’re taking your experiences and connections.”

Happy birthday, Josie!