Josie: “I don’t care about my bikini body – I want to be fit for my son”

New mum Josie Gibson shares her baby joy, and admits she’s back to a size 18 after gaining weight since giving birth to son Reggie

When we last caught up with Josie Gibson, she was almost W eight months’ pregnant and looking forward to her baby shower. But just a week later, her whole world changed when her little boy – Reggie James – arrived into the world four weeks early.

And Reggie’s arrival wasn’t the smoothest. After Josie had an emergency C-section, Reggie spent a week in neonatal care – but he is now home with Mum and her partner Terry, 49, and they couldn’t be happier.

“We’re settling down and everything is brilliant. I can’t imagine life without him,” she says. “I stare at him all the time, then realise that two hours have passed. Nobody prepares you for how much you’ll love them. It’s an amazing feeling.”

WEIGHT BATTLES

Reality star Josie, 33, made no secret of her weight battles during pregnancy. The former Big Brother star famously lost 6st in 2012, dropping from a size 20 to a size 8, thanks to a regime of healthy eating and regular workouts, followed by a tummy tuck in 2016. And she managed to maintain the weight loss until last year when she admits she got comfortable in her new relationship with property developer Terry, and relaxed her routine. Josie says her weight has crept up in the last year and that she got a shock on the scales just before going into labour.

“The day I went to be induced [due to having a small tear in her amniotic sac, which could have caused infection], I saw the midwife and was weighed – I was 17st again. I was crying my eyes out, but I knew I’d put on a lot of weight during pregnancy. Just one of my bum cheeks was bigger than my baby bump! I used pregnancy as an excuse, but then I had a 5lb baby and thought, ‘Oh dear.’”

Josie admits to “completely relaxing” her diet after getting together with Terry last summer, and says only part of her weight gain was down to her pregnancy.

“Terry jokes that he needed to fatten me up so I didn’t run off! But I’ve put on a lot of weight since I’ve been with him because you get comfortable – we love eating together. While I was pregnant, I was eating for two and Terry was eating for about five! Just before I gave birth, his beer belly was bigger than my pregnant belly.”

Now that Reggie is here, Josie – who is breastfeeding – says she’s sure she’s put on even more weight because she’s always hungry. She says, “I’m too scared to get on the scales now, but I’m pretty sure I’ve gained weight since having him. I’m so hungry and thirsty while I’m breastfeeding that I’m snacking all the time. I cook healthy meals from scratch, but snacking is my downfall. The other day, I ate a packet of biscuits.”

POSTNATAL EXERCISE

She’s still in the six-week recovery period after her C-section, but once she’s had the go-ahead from her doctor, Josie is planning on shaping up. “I thought I’d go to a gym with a crèche, but the nearest one is 45 minutes from me, and now that Reggie is here, I’ve realised that’s not realistic,” she

explains. “So I’m going to have to do all my exercise at home, while Reggie’s asleep or Terry isn’t at work. I’ve bought an exercise mat so I’ll be able to do online workouts.”

Josie, who is 5ft 11 and currently a size 18, is aiming to get back to a size 12. “I do need to get the weight off as I’ve noticed my knee joints are painful. So, when I can, I’ll go for it properly,” she says. “When I’m less than a size 12, I’ve got to put so much work into it that it’s not worth it. Having a little one means I want to be realistic.”

PLANNING THE FUTURE And Josie – who before having Reggie said she only wanted one child – now admits that one of her main motivations for losing weight is to be a fit mum. “I certainly don’t care about looking good in a bikini or anything – I just want to be fit and healthy for him. Plus, I’d love another baby. As soon as they gave Reggie to me, I thought, ‘I want another one’. We’ll have to wait two years as I’ve had a C-section, but I want time to enjoy him for now anyway. I’d do things differently next time around, though. I took laziness to a new level with this pregnancy, so I can only blame myself. But now I’m determined to get the weight off.”

‘I’d love another baby’