Secret struggles
Single mums of any age will sympathise with Josie Gibson, after she revealed the strain of looking after five-year-old Reggie on her own…
The usually bright and bubbly Bristolian Josie Gibson recently admitted that while being a mum is wonderful, being a single one can be stressful.
The 39-year-old split from son Reggie’s dad, Terry, shortly after she gave birth.
In a recent interview, Josie – who is currently single – said, ‘As a parent, I know it can be hard to get kids to eat well while juggling all the other responsibilities you have to worry about. I’m quite lucky that Reggie eats quite healthily but, like most kids, he does tend to reach for sweet treats like chocolate and biscuits first. I try to encourage him to get something healthier out of the fridge, like a nice yoghurt or fruit and veg.’
The TV personality was speaking during a campaign highlighting a lack of dairy in children’s diets, but it wasn’t the first time the star has spoken candidly about her experience as a single mother.
‘It’s not what I wanted,’ Josie admitted back in 2019. ‘I wanted to come back and say, “I was so proud of our family unit and that we’d done it properly,” but yeah I’m a single parent – it’s devastating really. It is stressful being a single parent, but sometimes it’s easier working on your own and not having someone against you.’
Despite parting ways, the newly flame-haired presenter has maintained a positive attitude towards Terry, praising their co-parenting agreement.
‘Terry has him two to three nights a week and then I’ll have him on the others. I’d never have been able to do what I’ve done if it wasn’t for Terry.’
We are sure he is a good dad, but any mum who has tried to juggle working with childcare will remember those nights with no one at home to cook or cover when you can’t get home will have huge sympathy for her.
‘I’m a single parent, it’s devastating really’