Steph McGovern has reflected on her interviews with Donald Trump and his former rival Hillary Clinton. The presenter previously revealed she found the American President "creepy" when she interviewed him in 2012, though she acknowledges that he is the "biggest" name she has sat down with during her career so far.
Pinch-me moments
Speaking to Best Magazine, the 44-year-old admitted she still pinches herself "all the time" that she earns a living as a presenter, particularly when given the opportunity to sit down with high-profile figures. She shared: "Obviously the biggest one is interviewing Donald Trump and being one of the only UK journalists to do so. It's like, 'I have interviewed an American President!'"
Steph has also sat down with Hillary, who went head-to-head with Trump in the 2016 US presidential election, on numerous occasions. Most recently, last year, the pair discussed what it is like to be women in leadership and the challenges they have both faced along the way.
Letters from Hillary
She added: "One of my pinch-me moments is after I've done an interview with her, she'll send me a letter on headed Hilary Clinton paper. In the last one I got, it said, 'My friend...' And I was like, Oh my God! I keep getting them framed because they're so good."
Steph interviewed Trump for BBC Breakfast prior to his presidency. During the conversation, he spoke about his life, the US election and, on a lighter note, how he unwinds and his famous hair. The President also took the opportunity to assert that people must truly love what they do, insisting they should never give up. At the time, he also touched on unemployment in America and offered his opinions on the British version of The Apprentice.
Recalling the awkward moment
Recalling the interview during an episode of Have I Got News For You in 2018, Steph claimed Trump told her she was "so beautiful". She claimed he also said: "I'm going to leave the room to make myself look better, because if we do this interview now everyone is just going to be staring at you and not listening to me."
After pretending to gag as she recalled the awkward comment, she added: "It's because he thought that would be the best way to disarm me. He thought as a female journalist, he thought that was the best thing to say to me rather than, 'Oh, I watched your piece on mobile phone insurance last week'."
Steph maintained she was unruffled by the remarks at the time and responded: "Aye love, I've heard better lines than that down Club Bongo."
The broadcaster returns to our screens tonight with her brand new show, The Big Deal with Steph McGovern. The series follows seven pairs of budding art dealers as they vie to identify emerging talent, broker deals and generate a profit, all for the opportunity to walk away with £50,000 worth of outstanding British art. The Big Deal with Steph McGovern airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Two.
