I'm A Celebrity star Josie Gibson's family heartache after dad was killed

06 December 2023 , 10:00

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Josie Gibson with her mum Mandy and her brother (Image: Piers Allardyce/REX/Shutterstock)

Josie Gibson, known for her appearances on ITV 's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and This Morning, has faced immense personal tragedy.

The bubbly TV star lost her father in a tragic incident when she was just 10 years old. The Bristol-born presenter revealed to Now magazine in 2010 that her dad, who hasn't been publicly named, was fatally injured in a fight.

Josie’s father was killed in a tragic family love triangle, with her uncle being convicted of his manslaughter after he bled to death following a physical fight between the pair. The Bristolian revealed her dad was stabbed in the leg after it was discovered that he was having an affair with Josie’s uncle’s partner and the fight that ensued left him with fatal injuries.

Last year, Josie shared a touching story about her son Reggie, five, communicating with her late father's spirit. She explained: "He said, 'Mummy, he's behind you now. He's so nice because he's your dad'. My dad died when I was really young but I've never had a conversation about my dad with my son. Reg said, 'He told me to tell you he loves you very much.'"

Josie, who won Big Brother and has three sisters and three brothers, grew up in Bristol. The mum-of-one previously claimed she witnessed domestic abuse in her childhood.

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Josie Gibson has three sisters

She told Closer she had "horrible memories" of seeing a former partner's violence against her mum, Mandy, as a child. Mandy previously spoke about how, when Josie was little, the family held on to their Traveller roots with frequent caravan trips, decamping for entire summers where they'd have no electricity, gas or running water for months.

Josie's mum told MailOnline: "We'd be gone for eight weeks at a time, we are old-fashioned people, that's how we live. When you live in the van then you don't waste water, electricity or your time. We've always had horses, traps and carriages, we are simple people and we live a simple way of life."

She added: "It's very different to the life [Josie] leads now but I'm glad that she had the opportunity to live life in the caravan when she was a child."

Josie is currently in the running to make it to the final three of this year's I'm A Celebrity. Sam Thompson recently knocked Tony Bellew off his perch as favourite to be crowned King of the Jungle.

The reality star is back on top and is now odds-on at 5/6. Tony has drifted out to 3/1, with Josie Gibson also in the running at 4/1, according to bookmakers Ladbrokes.

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Charlotte McIntyre