Meet your cover star
‘Home is full OF LOVE & LAUGHTER; we love our KITCHEN DISCOS’
TV presenter Steph McGovern talks to Charlotte Oliver about family life, staying true to her roots and how to be a savvy shopper
Steph McGovern, 41, lives in Newcastle with her partner and their three-year-old daughter. A former financial reporter, Steph began working as the main business presenter for BBC Breakfast in 2010 and has fronted BBC shows including Shop Well For Less, Watchdog and CBBC’s Pocket Money Pitch. In 2020, having left the BBC, she launched her popular daytime TV show Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4.
HOW I GOT HERE
The school I went to was looked down on by others, but our teachers made us feel that we were just as good as anyone else, and because it was set up to focus on jobs rather than just academia, we spent a lot of time getting work experience with local businesses. That meant I was taught about money, science and engineering from a young age.
I’d be the class clown, but also secretly do all the work and get high grades because I wanted the teachers to like me, too. My parents weren’t pushy at all; they were both just happy if I tried my best, so they were always shocked when I told them what grades I got. The same thing happens now – I’ll ring them and tell them what I’ve been up to, and they just think it’s amazing.
My teachers made me feel like nothing could stop me, plus I had the confidence of youth on my side. But when I first entered the media industry, it was a different story and I thought, ‘Okay, no one will ever give me that type of job,’ because of where I came from. I worked behind the scenes for a long time; then, when the opportunity came up for me to do stuff on air, I was just like, ‘Why not? I’ll give it a go!’
STANDING OUT
I remember when I was first about to go on air at the BBC, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to be a BBC reporter!’ I was never going to change my voice in a million years, and yet I felt like suddenly I had to be someone else. Then my editor said, ‘No, just be yourself.’ Now I always say to people: ‘Don’t change who you are.’
Nobody was mean to me, but I felt I was unusual because of my background. I’d suggest stories – such as the fact that people in poorer areas had to hire TVs – and I’d know people were secretly thinking, ‘That doesn’t happen.’ But it was an epiphany for me; I realised I could bring something new to the table. One of my biggest achievements was getting the BBC to celebrate vocational qualifications alongside A-levels. When I first pitched it, the bosses argued that, ‘Not many people do those,’ but I convinced them to film for a day at colleges that offered those qualifications. That’s when I realised I could add value.
They would automatically assume I was there to make the tea or that I’d be thick. But it made me
