The TV star appeared on This Morning to talk about her battle with lipoedema, a condition that causes a disproportionate build-up of fat
18:32, 15 Jan 2026
Josie Gibson said it's like her 'legs don't belong to her body' as she candidly discussed a health issue that was getting 'worse and worse' with age.
The TV star appeared on This Morning to talk about her battle with lipoedema, a condition that causes a disproportionate build-up of fat.
She told show hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard that no amount of training or exercise would help as her body 'holds onto fat differently'.
READ MORE: Dramatic moment 'menace on the roads' deliberately crashes van during 100mph police chase
The former Big Brother winner, 40, said: "I didn't have a clue [what it was]. I knew something wasn't right with my body but I didn't know what lipoedema was.
"I got diagnosed about a year ago and in September, I had surgery. All I can tell you is what I've been told.
"I've been to see experts, I've been to Berlin, I've been to three experts in London. Basically, my body holds onto fat differently.
"I train, I don't overeat, I'm fit and healthy. They said I could train seven days a week and I wouldn't get rid of lipoedema fat like that, it's like congealed fat.
"I've got this small waist, but it's like my legs, they don't belong to my body. They belong on another body.
"You get these big legs and as I'm getting older, it's getting worse. It gets worse as you get older and I can see it all on my arms now, I weight train and I see it all in my arms, it's just getting worse.
"I could train, train and train but really I'm going down the surgery route now."
Josie, who often fronts ITV's This Morning alongside other relief presenters, continued: "Thinking about it now, when I was at primary school, when they make you sit down cross-legged in assembly, I couldn't walk for about five or ten minutes afterwards.
"My lymphatic system mustn't have been working as a child and back then, you just got on with it. They gave me a chair to sit on do I could walk after but it's genetics, I've had this since I was a kid."
Josie also admitted that the condition even interfered with her work, the Mirror reports.
She added: "I was filming A Taste of the South West, in the kitchen, and I kept having to prop myself up on the side. I didn't say anything, but my legs were so heavy.
"I'd go out for a whole day filming, and then I'd go home and my legs would swell up.
"They'd go really big and heavy and they can become quite sore, I'd bruise like a peach! That's just on a normal day."
Josie said she turned to surgery as a "last resort," adding: "It's a lot of money each time, I think I paid over seven grand for just my calves and you split it up in sections."