Josie Gibson has opened up about a "heartbreaking" lipoedema diagnosis that "all made sense" but left her struggling. The This Morning presenter, who recently shed a remarkable amount of weight, followed a gruelling diet and fitness regime in 2012 that saw her drop from a size 22 to an 8, but one part of her body proved more challenging to transform.
Diagnosis and surgery
Fast forward to 2024 and, having regained some weight, the 41-year-old received a lipoedema diagnosis. The NHS describes the condition as an "abnormal build-up" of fat in your legs or arms, noting it is more common in women.
For Josie, it was a "light-bulb moment". She told The Sun's Fabulous magazine: "It was a light-bulb moment. I was told: 'You can’t out-train lipoedema'. It was heartbreaking, but it all made sense."
Josie opted to go under the knife, forking out £7,000 for liposuction surgery. It marked the first of a "few" operations, as her legs are "nowhere near completed", she explained. After this, she underwent further surgery, an arm lift that shifted 6lb of skin and fat.
Impact on confidence
Her most recent procedure is the "best thing" she's done, she says. Josie added: "If you'd seen what my arms were like before, it was hideous, absolutely hideous. Before the procedures, I hated the way I looked. I hated looking in the mirror."
Josie said she'd catch sight of her arm and would say to herself, "Oh god". Sadly, she says she was unable to watch herself on TV, constantly "covering" herself up, but things have since changed for the better. She now has the "confidence" to wear vest tops, though she admitted she'd opt for laser treatment one day.
Weight loss journey
Josie revealed she's lost 2.5 stone since the surgery, also crediting intermittent fasting and a healthy diet. In April, reports shared details about her previous transformation, when she shed more than 31kg. The former Big Brother star explained her process in her book, The Josie Gibson Diet.
She wrote: "I didn't get a gastric bypass; I got off my big a**e, moved more, ate less, and educated myself on what I was stuffing into my body."
Speaking to The Mirror in 2024, Josie shared further insight into her approach to weight loss. "So I did the six-day plan on Do The Unthinkable, which entitled me to one day off. Now on that one day off, I had one cheat meal - I didn't go crazy and drink 10 bottles of wine and binge all day on food and chocolate and all the naughty things I haven't been having, I just had my one cheat and that was it. So if you've got that one day off, don't undo all your hard work. Just have your one cheat meal and enjoy it. Don't have a day binge."
Josie has previously had breast implants and a tummy tuck. Catch Josie on The First Class Travel Show on Channel 5 tonight (August 6), from 7pm to 7.55pm.
