The exit came without warning — and the silence that followed was louder than any statement. With producers tight-lipped and speculation mounting, insiders say this break may not be temporary after all

Josie Gibson has revealed she has taken a step back from her TV work this summer to spend more time with her son Rex as they renovate their country mansion

This Morning star Josie Gibson is taking a step back from her TV work this summer to live off grid. The TV presenter usually fronts a lot of the ITV mid-morning show over the summer, covering for full time hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.

However, she is noticeably absent from This Morning this summer, with the likes of Craig Doyle, Rochelle Humes, Emma Willis and Joel Dommett all covering for Ben and Cat, who are on their annual summer break.

Now Josie has explained her absence from the ITV presenting line-up and revealed her plans to live off grid a bit more, as well as spend time with her son Rex as they renovate their new house.

She said: “I want to live off the land as much as I can and get a little allotment going, which I’ve never had. All my family are involved in helping me – I’ve got the best of Bristol on it so I’m hoping I can build a showstopper.

“A lot of my work comes through the summer holidays because I’m covering for people. So this year I made a conscious decision to step back and I spent a lot more time with Reggie over the summer than I’d normally get to do.”

Josie is currently living in a caravan as the family renovate their huge house, and she admits it’s been a challenge.

Her fellow ITV presenter Ranvir Singh told her recently: “You know what, you used to live in a caravan before all of this, and now, just a few years later, you’ve bought this enormous house. You’re a great British success story, Josie!”

Josie then quipped in response: “Well, I’m moving back into a caravan, I don’t know about that!” before adding of the renovations: “They say never to work with family or animals, and I’ve done just that. To say my stress levels are up here…

“They are great, they are amazing, but there are a lot of challenges, let’s say. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights.”

Josie is renovating the property for a new TV show. She said of the new project: “My dream is to build a house as eco and luxurious as possible where you are immersed in the sanctuary of nature. I want to use the acres of land to try and my best to have a little small holding. I want bees, birds, badgers, to all live in harmony. Though, I’m becoming increasingly concerned that my harmonious dream is slowly turning into a construction nightmare. I can’t wait to bring the audience along on this journey with me!”