Television star Josie Gibson has shared an update on her chronic health condition after undergoing two surgeries in a bid to treat it. The This Morning presenter, who first rose to fame on Big Brother in the 2010s, has been open about her diagnosis of lipoedema, a condition that causes abnormal fat buildup in the legs and sometimes arms.
Josie's Health Journey
Josie, now a regular face on British TV and host of new ITV shows Josie's Taste of the Westcountry and How To Clean Up For Cash, revealed she had to take major action to combat the condition. In an interview with Woman magazine, she explained: 'No matter how fit you are or what your diet is, with lipoedema you can't lose fat. So I had to do something about it and I've had two surgeries now – liposuction and an arm lift.'
The 41-year-old described her arms as 'really lumpy and horrible' and noted the frustration of having cellulite despite a slim waist. She admitted the recovery has been challenging, saying: 'I couldn't even put the bins out.'
Surgery as a Last Resort
Discussing the procedure on ITV in January, Josie called it a 'last resort.' She detailed the process: 'They do this lipo treatment, and then they Vaser it after. So they burn your skin on the inside, your skin tightens together again. I've only done my calves, and it is split up into sections. You can't do it all at once.'
Lipoedema specialist Dr Wolf explained that the condition often has a genetic component but suffers from a lack of research funding. He told the broadcaster: 'We're limited by doing this in the private sector because there isn't a diagnostic test. There's a lack of research and funding in this condition. At the moment we rely heavily on symptomatology, patient experience, patient presentation, because if everyone with slightly larger legs would queue up in the NHS to try and have liposuction, the NHS would collapse.'
Josie continues to recover and raise awareness, using her platform to highlight the struggles of living with lipoedema.
