Josie Gibson says she has tried “extreme” diets in the past but has vowed not to mess with her body anymore after a “health scare”. The This Morning host has been tucking into unusual foods for her new TV series The 1970s Diet for Channel 5.
But asked about her own dieting past, she said: “I’ve been on the Cambridge Diet, and I ate about a week’s worth of food on the way home from the meeting. Some people love it, but I just can’t get on with it. I’ve done everything, I’ve taken diet tablets back in the day. I have done some extreme things, but I can’t mess around with my body anymore. I cannot mess around with my metabolism, so I am where I am.”
Speaking to Closer magazine, Josie also spoke about changing her lifestyle habits which she hopes is making her a better mum to son Reggie, six.
She was told she might have gout after tucking into plates of food for her new Seventies series.
“I thought only kings like Henry VIII got gout. I was like, I’m a 40-year-old woman, this is really embarrassing,” she added.
In February, she also told This Morning viewers she had to take some time off after damaging her foot on holiday. A vanity unit came down on her foot leaving her on crutches.
So In the last few months she has cut back on work and tried to look after herself a bit more.
She explained: “I got a bit of a health scare while filming this show, so it knocked me into submission a bit, I had to do something about myself. I’ve learnt more about my sleep as well, I had to track how many hours of sleep I was getting.
“I was living on four, five… six hours at a push but now I make sure I get eight or nine hours, and I feel like a totally different human being. I’m a better mum, I’m better at my job, I remember things a lot more. I try to walk a lot more than I did now, because I was so tired all the time I’d take the car everywhere.
“I’ve got more patience. Before I took on this experiment I spent too much time on my phone, being at home and cooking a home cooked meal was a complete luxury, I run around the country, I’m so busy trying to work everything out. Trying to be a mum, be on the road being a TV presenter, it was a lot. But now I’m getting better sleep, and I’ve said no to a lot of work for my own health benefits. I’m spending more time at home and I’m prioritising my son and my health. When I turned 40, I always said that was what I was going to do.”
Asked if it had made her a better mum, she added: “Yeah, I reckon so because my patience and understanding are a lot better. I’m a better human being.”
Josie won Big Brother in 2010 and since 2019, she has been a regular segment presenter and announcer for ITV’s This Morning, as well as a relief co-presenter from 2021.
The 1970s Diet, coming soon to 5.
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