The TV host has admitted she is dreading the insects she’ll encounter in the jungle.

By Katelyn Mensah

Published: Tuesday, 14 November 2023 at 17:28 PM


This Morning host Josie Gibson is heading into the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! jungle, and although she has admitted she is terrified about taking part, she’s ready to take the plunge.

Josie Gibson is no stranger to reality TV, with her career kicking off following her appearance on Big Brother, which she subsequently won.

But when it comes to I’m a Celebrity, the jungle is a different ball game to the Big Brother house.

Gibson will be camping and eating rice and beans alongside an array of famous faces, including TV personality Sam Thompson and actress Jamie Lynn Spears.

As she prepares to face her fears, here’s everything you need to know about I’m a Celebrity 2023 contestant Josie Gibson.

Who is Josie Gibson?

Josie Gibson at ITV Palooza 2022 wearing a black dress
Josie Gibson. Lia Toby/Getty Images

Age: 38

Instagram: @josiegibson85

Job: This Morning host

Josie Gibson rose to fame after winning the 11th season of Big Brother in 2010.

The following year, Gibson became a regular guest host on OK! TV on Channel 5 and continued working in TV.

Her other TV projects include being a reporter on Big Brother’s Bit On The Side from August to November 2011, Celebrity Wedding Planner, Loose Women and The Wright Stuff.

In 2019, Gibson joined This Morning as a competition announcer and two years later she became a presenter on the show. Following Phillip Schofield’s departure from the programme, Gibson began presenting alongside Holly Willoughby.

Phobias: “Insects. I freeze every time I see a spider and I am not sure what I am going to do if I a in a trial with them!”

Biggest misconception you want to dispel in the jungle: “I would like people to know I’m very clever knowing useless information!”

Best and worst attributes: “I am an optimist and I love meeting people from all walks of life. Worst? I can be quite nosey and I am worried about my temper if I am too hungry.”

Dream camper: “Dawn French, I love her.”

What has Josie Gibson said about joining I’m a Celebrity 2023?

With I’m a Celebrity approaching, the idea of it is just sinking in for Gibson.

Ahead of the show’s launch, she said: “I keep thinking, ‘S**t, I am actually going this.’ I know I have taken on challenges for This Morning in the past but I don’t know if I’ve taken on too much here. It’s all becoming very real.”

The TV host admitted she is “dreading the insects” as it is her “biggest phobia”.

“I also don’t like spiders and I freeze normally when I see one,” she said, continuing: “My family thinks I am mad doing the programme too as they know what I’m like with creepy crawlies!”

While it may seem bizarre why she chose to take part on the show given her many fears, Gibson said she loves the show so much and that’s why she decided to accept the offer to take part.

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“I am most looking forward to being at one with nature,” she added. “And I hope I learn new things about myself. I hope I can push myself more than I think I can. Eating trials? I have got to try and close my eyes and not think about what it is I am eating. Heights? I don’t like heights either. To be fair, I am not liking a lot of things that the jungle throws at you but I want to give it all a go.”

Gibson is looking forward to getting to know the celebrities in the camp, with some she wouldn’t normally meet.

She said: “I love it when people sit and tell stories and I hope people won’t think I am too nosey but I love chatting to them and finding out about them. I love people from all walks of life.

“I don’t think I will get too bored as if I am with lots of people, like I will be in camp, then I think we can have a laugh together. It’s actually going to be nice being in one spot for a change as I travel a lot.”

As for whether she would want to be crowned Queen of the Jungle, Gibson said her main goal is to try and win as many stars as she can for the camp.

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! starts on Sunday 19th November at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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