NORTHERN SOUL
It’s good to be back Steph McGovern is something of a Teesside icon. Not only is she incredibly proud of the place she calls home, but her hometown is very much behind everything she represents. She’s been navigating life as a new mum, she’s launched a new TV show in lockdown, and she’s putting a positive spin on current affairs. It’s good to have her back on home turf, says Elysia Fryer…
It’s 2.15pm, Steph has just come off air and we’re awaiting an update on new lockdown measures - a subject that has become a part of everyday life for now, but something we’re all learning to live with. For Steph, it’s all about channeling positivity. And her new Channel 4 show, which has brought her back to her home county, allows her to do just that. “As I imagine a lot of people feel right now, it feels brilliant to get out of the house and get back to routine,” says Steph. “It’s really nice to be back out working and to be around people again - obviously it’s all socially distanced, but it’s wonderful to be back in amongst it.” Steph’s work ethic is refreshing. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that she’s a hardworking lass - ready to roll her sleeves up and tackle whatever it is that comes her way. After having a very successful early career in engineering, picking up a national award at the age of 19, she’s given us a number of reasons to trust that she’s able to take on a new challenge. Her latest challenge,
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of course, being a new daytime studio show in Channel 4’s new home at Leeds Dock. That, and settling into life as a new mum. She’s not afraid to tell us how tough it is, but that’s what makes her tick. “I’m no different to anyone else in that it is hard to try and do your job well while trying to be there for your kids,” she says. “For me, it’s really lovely that in lockdown I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter, but now it’s also nice that she sees her parents go to work. She spends time with grandparents and enjoys socialising with other kids at her little classes. “But there’s no shying away from the stuggles. It’s not easy. I have so much respect for single parents. I am lucky in that me and my partner tag team amazingly well, but I couldn’t do it on my own. I don’t know how people do it - hats off to them.” Between parenting and presenting, Steph has really come into her own - and much of that has to do with returning to work, falling back into routine, and setting up home in glorious North Yorkshire, just a stone’s throw from her native Middlesbrough. It’s great to see Steph back on the big screen. And to be able to bring national
TV to a new home in the north, is something to be incredibly proud of. “It’s so good to be back,” Steph smiles. “We had so many plans for the show that we were unable to put into action because of lockdown, so to be able to actually do those things and see the show come to life, is just brilliant. Having a studio full of people, and to have them all interacting, feels like a big win right now. It’s really nice to create what I always had in my mind and finally be able to share it with others.” The show was due to hit our screens back in April, but the world had other plans. A few curve balls were thrown in, but nothing Steph and the production team couldn’t overcome. “The show was supposed to launch in the studio in April, but obviously we couldn’t because we were in lockdown. So the options were, we don’t do the show at all, or I try to do it from home, which obviously suddenly meant that my house turned into a TV studio. That, of course, brings in an element of madness because my baby was only a few months old, and with no childcare and a partner that works full time, you can imagine how manic it was. >>
NOV/DEC20
