Steph McGovern shares stalker hell as man told parents they were in relationship

21 October 2023 , 17:08

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Steph McGovern shares stalker hell as man told parents they were in relationship

Steph McGovern has revealed she was once on the receiving end of the unwanted attention of a stalker - who even wrote to her parents to claim they were in a relationship.

The 41-year-old television presenter has been working in the spotlight since 2013 when she launched her career as a contributor to Newsround before going on to host shows including Shop Well for Less and Watchdog. Steph has since become a household name for daytime TV fans thanks to her Channel 4 daytime show, Steph’s Packed Lunch, which she has hosted since 2020.

During her time working at the BBC, however, Steph became the focus of a persistent fan who left her feeling frightened as he became infatuated with her and began turning up “everywhere I went”. The star explained that she was forced to get security involved when the man began writing to her parents, claiming they were in a relationship.

Steph's Packed Lunch host Steph McGovern has revealed she was harassed by a stalker

Steph has also expressed her disappointment that dealing with stalkers is “part of success” that those working in the spotlight are unlikely not to experience. Opening up to the Express, Steph said: “I had a stalker when I was at the BBC. It was just some guy turning up everywhere I went.

“He ended up writing to my family saying he was in a relationship with me. It was really crazy but BBC security dealt with it. I think they told him to go away, there were no charges. Once he was told to stop he did.”

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She added: “It was frightening when it went to my parents as I did not know how he found out where they lived. Sadly, I think it comes with the job as that is part of the success of being on TV.”

Over the past week, fans of Steph and her daytime show have been left devastated by Channel 4’s abrupt decision to cancel the series. The show will continue to air until the end of the year before the axe comes down on it.

Channel 4 announced the news on Thursday in a statement reading: “Steph has not only made the nation’s lunchtimes more entertaining and brilliantly reflected the views and pre-occupations of the country, but the show has also been an outstanding springboard for developing local talent behind the scenes.

“However, with audience habits changing quicker than ever, we have to make difficult decisions about which programmes to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy and we have decided not to recommission Steph’s Packed Lunch when its existing production contract ends in December 2023. We remain as committed as ever to our mission to help level up the TV industry outside London and to our 50% origination out of London target. We will be reinvesting the budget previously committed to Steph’s Packed Lunch into other nations and regions productions.”

The cancellation is believed to have blindsided show crew members - and celebrity chef John Whaite, who frequently features on the show, has expressed his sadness that many people will be losing their jobs. He said in an Instagram video on Friday: “If you’re going to think about anybody and give best wishes to anybody, please think of the Packed Lunch team… they’ve had the rug pulled out from underneath them, which is really, really terrible.”

Mirror.co.uk