Josie steps out of the ‘drama’

Rumours have circulated over who could take Holly Willoughby’s daytime crown since she left This Morninglast year.

Josie Gibson, whose humour, sunny personality and down-to-earth presenting style has made her a hit with viewers, has been a frontrunner. She was tipped for great things when she came out of the I’m A Celeb jungle last year, in fourth place.

Yet the laid-back mum-of-one, who joined This Morningin 2019, seemed to hint in a cryptic post on her Instagram Stories recently that she wants to take a step back from all the whispers that have been swirling for months.

As speculation grows about her future on the daytime show, the 39-year-old spoke of “drama” and “disrespect” to her 704,000 followers – but the mysterious post, about which she gave no context, was taken down soon after.

Josie’s post also touched on her “prioritising peace” and choosing “calm over conflict”. It read, “The older you get the more you choose calm over conflict and distance over disrespect.

“Drama becomes intolerant to you and your peace becomes your ultimate priority. You start surrounding yourself with people who are good for your mental health, heart and soul.”

A source has told new following Cat Deeley’s rumoured offer of the biggest job in daytime telly, “Josie wears her heart on her sleeve and sometimes does things – like post on her social media – as a knee-jerk reaction without thinking. Then she thinks about it afterwards,” they added.

“She was likely hoping that she’d come out of the jungle and be the automatic choice for the top job at This Morningafter Holly left. But ITV are still trying people out. Josie is turning her back on the drama and the This Morning hurt from Holly leaving.”

Perhaps Josie has had enough of all the gossip and competition especially as she was so upset about Holly and Phillip Schofield’s sudden exit from the programme last year.

Currently not on presenting duties, the Bristol-born star had set tongues wagging that she could be set to quit the show.

Josie sparked concern with fans after revealing on Instagram on 18 January that she was taking a break to make way for new face, radio presenter Sian Welby, who stepped in to host with Dermot O’Leary for a week.

A few days later, she reassured followers