After being knocked for six by a “proper rough” virus, Holly Willoughby was forced to take some time off from her presenting job at This Morning. Former Big Brother star Josie Gibson – who's an occasional TM reporter – stepped in for Holly while she was away and garnered praise from celebrities and viewers alike for her down-to-earth personality.
And while Holly is back on form on This Morning, an insider tells us she was slightly rattled to see someone else take on her job so easily.
“Holly has been really open and honest with producers about wanting to try new things, and while she will always be loyal to This Morning, she's not sure what the future holds,” our source explains. "But it hasn’t stopped her feeling worried about all the praise Josie was getting last week when she stood in for her and there is talk of Josie getting a more permanent role. People see her as her perfect replacement should Holly ever leave.”
CHECK OUT: Every BIg Brother winner
Celebrity Big Brother winners so far
1 of 22Jack Dee: 2001
Jack Dee took part in the show for Comic Relief and everyone seemed surprised, none more so than Jack. The series lasted a paltry five days as it was a more innocent time.
2 of 22Mark Owen: 2002
The nation fell in love with Mark Owen all over again when he took part while Take That were on hiatus.
3 of 22Bez: 2005
Happy Mondays dancer Bez made no bones about taking part in the show because he needed the money. During his triumphant series he struck up an unlikely friendship with Jackie Stallone. Yes, really.
4 of 22Chantelle Houghton: 2006
AS the only non-celebrity in the Celebrity Big Brother house it was perhaps inevitable that Chantelle would win. She went on to marry cast mate Samuel Preston from the Ordinary Boys and later had a baby with subsequent CBB winner Alex Reid.
5 of 22Shilpa Shetty: 2007
The nation rolled its eye when Shilpa Shetty claimed she was as big as Angelina Jolie. But her grace and dignity in the face of Jade Goody's bullying saw her crowned CBB winner.
6 of 22Ulrika Johnson: 2009
Ulrika-ka-ka-ka-ka Johnson had stiff competition from Terry Christian, Tina Malone and Mutya Buena but, following a grumpy time in the house, eventually triumphed.
7 of 22Alex Reid: 2010
Alex Reid was pretty much a twinkle in Katie Price's eye when he entered CBB. He became husband number two shortly after his win.
8 of 22Paddy Doherty: 2011
Paddy Doherty winning CBB was not the nation's finest hour.
9 of 22Denise Welch: 2012
Denise Welch took on disgraced X Factor singer Frankie Cocozza, former Towie Kirk Norcross and EastEnders favourite Natalie Cassidy and WON.
10 of 22Julian Clary: 2012
Well of course Julian Clary won. The man's a national treasure! Mind you, he had stiff competition from Coleen Nolan and Martin (really, Martin? ) Kemp.
11 of 22Charlotte Crosby: 2013
Charlotte Crosby was the first Geordie Shore cast mate to enter Celebrity Big Brother and she set the bar very high.
12 of 22Rylan Clark-Neal: 2013
Rylan Clark-Neal was an utter delight during his time in the Borehamwood Bungalow. He now presents Bit On The Side, which is an impressive career trajectory.
13 of 22Gary Busey: 2014
Gary Busey's time on Celebrity Big Brother was...odd. Still, hats off. he won.
14 of 22Jim Davison: 2014
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
15 of 22Katie Price: 2015
Somehow, Katie Hopkins was Katie Price's closest rival for the CBB crown. Thank goodness, the right Katie won. She's denied she's going into the house in 2018 which is a crying shame.
16 of 22James Hill: 2015
James Hill, anyone? ANYONE? Thought not.
17 of 22Scotty T: 2016
Scotty T was pitted against Gemma Collins, Megan McKenna, Stephanie Davis and Jeremy McConnell and came out triumphant. His finest hour? Possibly.
18 of 22Stephen Bear 2016
Bear had an interesting time in the CBB house and a very rude time with Chloe Khan in the CBB toilet. He was up for every single eviction but beat them all and won the show.
19 of 22Coleen Nolan: 2017
Coleen Nolan did TWO stints in the CBB house, first taking part in 2012. She beat Jedward and won this time around.
20 of 22Sarah Harding: 2017
Sarah Harding enjoyed a relationship with Chad Johnson during their time in CBB. Alas, things didn't work in the outside world. The former Girls Aloud singer sadly passed away in 2021 after battling cancer.
21 of 22Shane Jenek (Courtney Act): 2018
Shane Jenek AKA Courtney Act was the stand out star of winter 2018 Celebrity Big Brother, in part because they stood up to the bigoted remarks of house villain Anne Widdecombe.
22 of 22Ryan Thomas: 2018
Former Corrie star Ryan Thomas was the final ever winner of CBB, despite MAJOR controversy in his series involving Roxanne Pallet.
Read more...
Behind Coleen Rooney's new look: cold showers, coconuts and sleep tricks
Holly herself praised the 36-year-old Bristolian in her absence, saying on her return to the show, “Thank you to Josie as well, who did a brilliant job. All I did was watch you. It was a great show. I really enjoyed myself in my sickness!”
Josie’s celeb pals were also full of praise for her three days as a co-host alongside Phillip Schofield. Former This Morning presenter Ruth Langsford said, “Well done Josie… you were a natural!”, while Jake Quickenden wrote on her Instagram, “You were amazing my friend”.
Viewers of the show also praised Josie, calling her “a breath of fresh air”. One commented, “You’ve made it to the This Morning family – no question. Heaven to watch”, while another agreed, “Definitely should be a regular presenter.”
The praise has made Holly, 40 – who has recently launched her own lifestyle brand, Wylde Moon – think twice about her position on the show.
WATCH: Demi Sims opens up about Megan Barton Hanson 'joining TOWIE' | Celeb Ex In The City Secrets
“Holly isn’t ready to go yet but seeing someone take on her job so effortlessly for a few days has slightly unsettled her,” we’re told.
“The producers are always very reassuring to Holly, they’ve told her she is extremely valued, and they don’t want to lose her – but at the same time, they want to keep all their bases covered. They know it’s a possibility that Holly may get a better offer down the line or decide that she wants to move on and try something else – which they would completely understand and support. In that sense, producers are always on the lookout for potential replacements and presenters like Josie and Alison Hammond are real frontrunners in terms of people that the audience loves.”
Read more stories like this in heat - Out now