Holly Willoughby's This Morning drama and Josie Gibson 'won't be wingwoman'

31 July 2023 , 09:20

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Holly Willoughby's This Morning drama and Josie Gibson 'won't be wingwoman'

This Morning host Holly Willoughby is reportedly facing more drama over her huge new pay deal while Josie Gibson is preparing to step out of her "shadow".

In recent weeks, the pair have entertained viewers of the ITV magazine programme following the exit of Phillip Schofield but that's all set to change. It's claimed that Holly could be eying up a new deal while Josie is said to be preparing for a stint in the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! camp.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Holly would be returning to the show as the main anchor with sources claiming her salary of £700,000 was set to increase as the presenter looked ahead to the future. But while the nation is gripped by a cost of living crisis, a PR expert believes this may infuriate some viewers.

Holly Willoughby's bumper This Morning salary could anger viewers according to a leading PR expert (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

It comes as Josie Gibson could soon set her sights on other TV shows (Instagram)

Meanwhile, Mark Borkowski claims that Josie Gibson's management team may be preparing for her to fly solo and emerge from Holly's "shadow" after her success on the programme. He told OK! Magazine that Holly's bumper pay cheque may enrage the nation as they are forced to "heat cans of beans with candles" due to the rising levels of inflation.

"What's Holly expected to do? Like footballers, TV personalities often have a very, very short shelf life," he told the outlet. Mark went on to explain that Holly's current salary pays a huge team who work behind the scenes. He added: "To make this work, she's got to deliver on screen and be very careful in terms of what she does publicly, what interviews she does and what she delivers on her own personal social media. It's about the long-term strategy now."

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Elsewhere, he believes that the team behind television star Josie Gibson could be working round the clock to ensure that she accepts every opportunity thrown at her. It comes following claims she could be heading to Australia or participating in Strictly Come Dancing.

"Television is very, very fast-moving, you don't sit around and wait because then you'll become the 'This Morning person'," he said before adding: "Supporting Holly was a huge break for Josie, hr agents will be thinking, 'How do we get something out of Holly's shadow, that's Josie’s own gig?'. Josie has to jump on any opportunity and take it because in three or four weeks it might not be there – someone else might have grabbed it."

Last week, it was reported that BBC top dogs were "desperate" for Josie to appear on Strictly after impressing TV bosses.

Daniel Bird