Living a life of luxury, complete with champagne, Michelin-starred dining and private jet travel, may seem like the dream. However, for Josie Gibson, it led to a health scare. Following her globe-trotting adventures on Channel 5's Around The World In First Class, Josie underwent a health check-up in preparation for her next TV venture, The 1970s Diet.

The results were far from ideal - blood tests revealed that Josie was battling gout. "I kept saying to the nurse 'My toes keep hurting'," shares Josie, 40. "I thought gout was only for old men but I have been living quite a lavish life. Before I filmed this show, I caught a lot of flights, I drank a lot of champagne, I ate a lot of rich food and I had little sleep. That's how I ended up getting gout."

Fortunately, Josie's new series, The 1970s Diet, involves significantly less indulgence. She trades high-end eateries for simple fare like boiled potatoes, liver and spam. "I've come from one extreme to the other," Josie chuckles. "I went from living my finest life ever to being brought down to earth with a bang."

In The 1970s Diet, Josie delves into the food, drink and health culture of the 1970s to explore whether our lifestyles were actually healthier back then. In 1970, only about 10% of Britons were classified as obese - a figure that has since tripled.

"I was surprised by that," admits Josie. "I think of the 1970s and I think of madeira cake, trifles, angel delight... it doesn't scream healthy - not to me!"

A nutritionist provided Josie with a genuine 1970s meal plan, complete with smaller portions and an era-appropriate dinner plate. Yet, upon seeing the food she was to consume, Josie worried it might lead to weight gain, particularly unimpressed by the prospect of eating tripe or liver.

"There were a lot of carbs on the menu," she remarked. "I thought looking at the diet, I'd definitely put on weight."

The 1970s weren't just about different menus; people led more physically active lives, walking more, engaging in manual housework, and tending to vegetable gardens.

For the show, Josie visited Kingston University to have her body fat and weight assessed. Having fluctuated between a size eight and a size 22, confronting her weight of 16 stones (102 kilos) and 48 percent body fat on national television was a bold move, but Josie was committed to the experiment.

"If I'm taking on this experiment, then I'm showing it all, that's the experiment," she declared. "If you don't show the experiment, what's the point?"

Her efforts were rewarded when her fitness level was rated as superior. Josie expressed her satisfaction: "It was nice to know that even though I was overweight, I was at a supreme fitness level," she said.

"I was expecting to have a low fitness level, even though I've always exercised. But he was like, 'No, you're at a superior fitness rate.'".

Indeed, on the show, audiences saw Josie effortlessly tackle an exercise bike, cycling without even breaking a sweat. Perplexed by her own fitness, Josie shared, "I'm one of the most on the go people I've ever met but my size doesn't fit with my activity. It never has. I do not stop.

"I've got friends that are really slim and I'm thinking, 'I run rings around you!' Sometimes I think, 'Is it fair?' but we're all different. I am fit but I am also overweight."

For Josie, personal health takes precedence, particularly now that she has overcome gout. She said: "As soon as I stopped catching all the flights and started drinking a bit more water and less champagne, it levelled itself out."

During the programme, Josie upped her physical activity, walking to her local fruit and veg shop and butcher's while pushing her wheeled shopping bag, aiming for a daily step count from the 1970s.

The outcome of Josie's weight journey on The 1970s Diet might be a mystery, but what’s clear is her newfound resolve to embrace lifestyle changes. She aspires to engage more with her local community and increase her walking, activities that she believes will also benefit her seven year old son Reggie.

"What I realised about Reg is he is a bit lazy," Josie observed. "I'm like, 'Reg, come on, let's walk up the shop.' And he's like, 'No, mum, can we take the car?' We have kept trying to keep at the walking but I've got to really gear him up."

Delving into the 1970s culture, Josie discovered the era's strong emphasis on the family unit. As a single mother without the support of a partner, she found this particularly eye-opening.

"It has really opened my eyes. Back then I think the man needed the woman, and the woman needed the man," Josie reflects. "I love the fact that I can have a career but relationships in the 70s I suppose they stuck together because they needed each other more. They were more solid as a family."

Yet, Josie maintains that dating isn't on her agenda, stating, "It wouldn't be fair."