OH JO
The 3 times single mum Josie Gibson has shrugged off savage shamers & why she’s bedsharing with her son until he’s 18
Does the well-loved star care secretly what the haters think?
SHE was the last woman standing on this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and Josie Gibson is back on our screens today in a return to This Morning.
Aside from morning telly we're yet to hear what else comes next for the bubbly presenter on the back of her time in the jungle, but one thing is for certain, her five-year-old son Reggie won't be far away.
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Josie, 38, has opened up about being back with her pint-sized partner in crime, saying she hasn’t let him out of her sight since she waved goodbye to Australia.
She revealed: “I have cuddled Reggie like you would not believe. It was so nice to be reunited with him.”
The single mum of one, who split with Reggie’s dad Terry shortly after she gave birth, confessed that she had majorly struggled with being apart from her pride and joy.
Reflecting on the days until they were reunited she said: "I was missing him so much and you could see I was really sad and I wasn’t myself.”
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And while the mother-and-son duo are now making up for lost time, some have taken aim at Josie for opening up about how tough she found leaving her son with best friend Mia.
One social media critic wrote: “During covid people didn’t get to see family or anyone for such a long time and they complain about being away from family for a month and being paid an enormous amount of money…”
A second joined in the sniping, saying: “Oh god give me strength, enjoy the money love with your son.”
But this isn’t the first time that the former Big Brother star has faced tough criticism for her parenting choices.
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Here, with the help of parenting author , we reveal how Josie risks the wrath of the mum-shaming squad – and how she retaliates...
Absence makes a mum grow fonder
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When Josie first signed up for I’m a Celeb, nothing could have prepared her for how much she would miss little Reggie.
While many parents said online that they couldn’t cope with the distance she put between them, Josie acknowledged the guilt and how their separation was weighing heavily on her mind when she broke down in tears to fellow camp mate Danielle Harold.
During their candid conversation, she sobbed: “I just miss my little boy. I shouldn't have ever left him this long.”
Josie later added: “Just had a little wobble. You just feel very guilty. I'll never leave him this long again, ever.”
But Liat maintains that Josie did exactly the right thing in showing Reggie the perfect example of a working mum – and that distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
You just feel very guilty. I'll never leave him this long again, ever
Josie Gibson
“Josie was working – albeit it’s not exactly a normal job – rather than relaxing on a beach lounger with a cocktail at a luxury resort
and her family will benefit from her admittedly unusual business trip,” Liat says.
“Her son will see and learn from her example of working hard and providing for him and, of course, her career brings them financial security. He might not appreciate this just yet but one day he will.
“At five, Reggie is also old enough to understand that mummy was away and would come back and he hadn’t been ‘abandoned’.
“All in all, as long as her little chap was being looked after by someone familiar who he felt secure and happy with, what on earth is the problem?
“People out there should drop the criticism and Josie should meanwhile ditch those guilty feelings.”
Did she drop a boob?
TV star Josie risked getting a rise out of those who are against breastfeeding in public when she was snapped in Reggie's younger years feeding her baby son.
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Enjoying a day out with her mum in Bath while looking after five-week-old Reggie, Josie stopped outside a cafe to settle him.
But the haters were quick to judge with one scathing comment that said: 'Oh for goodness sake, cover up! No-one wants to see that whilst having their lunch. Just drape a blanket over you. Have a wee bit of decorum. And self respect.'
While the breastfeeding in public debate is one that still rumbles on and studies have found that many mums feel anxious about feeding in public, Liat defends mums like Josie:
"It's completely natural and should never be looked down upon – I thought we’d have moved on from this sort of thing by now but it seems mums, including Josie, are still getting shamed for feeding their babies in public.
“She definitely sent a message to people out there to get over it."
Three in a bed? - not in Josie's world
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Josie divided the internet when she revealed that she and her “baby boy” still sleep in the same bed.
She explained: “I want him in there forever."
Even if that means there's no room for a man anytime soon: “How would I fit a relationship in, because I can’t bring someone else into my bed – that’s where my Reggie sleeps and will do until he’s 18!,” she said.
While some could empathise with Josie’s situation, others were less forgiving about what has been dubbed “the dirty secret of parenting.”
He still sleeps in bed with me. I want him in there forever
Josie Gibson
Speaking about Josie's choice, Liat says: “There are plenty of cultures around the world where bed sharing is normal at five
and beyond.”
However, she adds: “It’s not something I’d actively recommend but if they’re both still happy with it, from a child development
perspective, it’s harmless.
“As for Josie saying she wants to co-sleep until Reggie is 18, I can safely say that’s not just unlikely but that it isn’t going to happen - and she won’t want it to, and nor will he when that seemingly far-off age becomes reality."
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And addressing when that time comes, Liat adds: “I hope Josie doesn’t take it as a rejection but as a sign of his growing independence, which is surely something to be proud of as a parent.”
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