Josie Gibson is staying in one of the world's surfing hotspots on Australia’s Gold Coast - and she's riding the crest of a wave when it comes to her career.
The 38-year-old star is already the clear bookmakers’ favourite to win I’m A Celebrity before the show has started and is also expected to get more and more responsibility hosting This Morning now Holly Willloughby has left but it wasn’t always the case and at her lowest Jodie was close to quitting TV after a staggering 72 rejection letters.
She said: "I have to pinch myself. I think if somebody would have told me that I’d be doing what I’ve been doing, presenting This Morning and on I’m a Celebrity not even that long ago, I wouldn’t have even believed you, never ever.
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"And it just goes to show, doesn’t it? Now I feel like nothing’s out of my reach - like don’t ever think things are out of your reach, if you want to do something just tell yourself that you are that. You know what, before I became a proper television presenter, I tried 72 production places to get a job. This went on for years. I even went back and tried to get a normal job of what I used to do.
"But I always want to be a TV presenter. So when I first opened up my Instagram, I put that I was a TV presenter. I wasn’t at all but I told myself I was one for so many years, I ended up being one." Referring to her five-year-old son, who changed her life and her outlook, she added: “I really found myself as a woman when I had Reg and I really came into my own. He really gave me the confidence that I always wanted.
"A lot of people think when you have a baby, life is sort of over for you whereas mine just really began again. It was when my career kicked off, when Reg was a baby. My confidence was definitely made better by motherhood yeah."
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Josie laughed and said "I can neither confirm or deny" when told she had turned down strictly -come-dancing>Strictly Come Dancing for I’m A Celebrity but she added: " ITV is my home. I’m an ITV face and ITV give me this chance. And without ITV, I wouldn’t be where I am. So, yeah, that, you know, ITV really took a chance on me and they believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. So that’s why I stuck with ITV.
"I'm already where I want to be. I’m so lucky, I’m on a great daytime TV show, and I’ve never been more content in all my life and I’m so happy and I’m so grateful for everything that I do get. Winning this? My god wouldn’t it be amazing. I think surviving this would be enough for me! It would be a dream."
Josie, a former Big Brother winner with a record high vote to win in 2010, has also been getting in shape before she heads into camp, leaving her son behind for the first time for such a long period. She said: "I don’t feel like I’m in great shape but before I knew I was doing this I did hire a personal trainer and we’ve been weight training. And then I’ve been running with my hairdresser Maurice and everyone thinks that we are an item!
"We put a picture of us on Instagram, but he’s actually my hair stylist. He’s amazing. And he takes me running. I’ve never been a runner but now I’ve been running a few 5Ks here and there. It’s finding the time, because I am here, there and everywhere and then I’ve got Reggie."
Told some celebs turn to the knife or botox to look good, she added: "The thing is, I can understand, you know, when people get desperate and they want to do that. But it wouldn’t be for me, only because I don’t want to mess around with my body, I like everything natural, I always go down the natural route.
"We’re all different shapes and sizes on This Morning! And I think that’s good cos you’ve got to appeal to everybody. I think we’ve come a long way." Josie’s son Reggie will come out to meet her on jungle bridge, which is set to be an emotional reunion.
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She recently admitted he still shares a bed with her and they are normally inseparable. But Josie said: "I've done a lot of videos before I left and also I’ve explained everything that I possibly can to him. And I’ve been trying to explain that, since I signed up. So, each morning we’ve been waking up and he says ‘Mummy are we going to Australia now'’ And I go 'not yet Reg’'and he’s going 'When are we going into the jungle?' So none of it has come as a shock to him, he’s got his head around it.
"It is going to be weird but there’ll be plenty of cuddles when I come out and at the end of the day this will better me and Reg and it’s all going to be good. He’s going to be experiencing Australia while I’m going to be tucking down on mealworms. So I hope he appreciates it!"
I'm A Celebrity.. Get Me Out of Here! returns to ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, November 19 at 9pm
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