IS TROUBLE BREWING FOR BFFS ALISON & JOSIE?

While Alison Hammond’s career goes from strength to strength, her pal and This Morning co-star Josie Gibson is said to be worried about stepping on her toes as she carves out her own TV success story

Phillip Schofield hascalled them This Morning’s very own “Thelma and Louise” and fans have even begged for them to have their own TV show – but insiders say Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson’s friendship has been tested by the recent turmoil behind the scenes at ITV.

FRICTION

While Alison, 48, and Josie, 38, are both loved by viewers for their candid and hilarious interviews with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Phillip’s recent absence, followed by Holly Willoughby’s bout of shingles last month, have seen both presenters cover the prime time slot on the sofa with separate co-stars.

And while Alison is fast becoming TV’s hottest new star, even landing the gig of hosting the BAFTAs earlier this year, an insider says she’s struggling to let go of her slot as the show’s entertainment correspondent – and it’s caused some friction for Josie, who is keen to be given more opportunities.

A source says, “Alison is known for charming the A-listers and generally gets given the pick of the bunch when it comes to big interviews. But with Alison spinning so many plates now, she can’t do it all so a lot of them fall to Josie, who also has her own way of disarming celebs and creating viral moments with them.

“There’s a little bit of friction as Josie doesn’t want to step on toes or upset Alison – they’re such good pals, after all – but she can’t help but feel that, with Alison being pulled in so many different directions, there is an opportunity here for her to shine.”

HAPPY FAMILY

Both stars rose to fame following their appearances on Big Brother, but while Alison was snapped up by This Morning shortly after leaving the reality show in 2002, Josie has revealed that she struggled for years to land her dream role as a TV presenter after winning her BB series in 2010.

She said last year, “I think because of the Big Brother thing, it held me back a bit and nobody wanted to know – and I mean nobody.

“Over two years, I put myself out there. Nobody knows this, but I got into [TV presenting] because I just tried non stop.”

She was finally handed the opportunity of a lifetime in 2018 when former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes took a shine to her, and has since interviewed some of showbiz’s biggest stars.

And while Alison’s hilarious, whisky-fuelled interview with actors Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling went viral, Josie enjoyed her own moment of notoriety when Jennifer Aniston misunderstood her Bristolian accent and thought Josie had asked if