Steph McGovern, a well-known presenter and journalist, has been a regular on TV screens for years, appearing on shows such as BBC Breakfast and Netflix's Celebrity Bear Hunt. She also hosted her own chat show, Steph's Packed Lunch, on Channel 4 from 2020 to 2023, and released her first crime thriller novel, Deadline, in 2025.
Keeping Her Personal Life Private
Steph often keeps her personal life private and has not revealed her girlfriend's identity to protect their privacy. It has long been claimed that her partner works as a TV executive. The couple are understood to have been friends for a considerable period before romance blossomed. They have a daughter together, born in 2019.
Speaking with The Express about her relationship, Steph previously said: “I would just get too mad if I started reading negative things about them. My daughter has no choice and my partner’s not in the public eye, so I wouldn’t want to subject them to the opinions of others.”
'Cracking Rows' and a 24-Hour Rule
In 2022, Steph lifted the lid on her life behind closed doors and the rule used if she and her partner are “miffed about something.” She shared: “What I’ve learned about relationships is you have to put in the effort. It’s like listening. For example, if I’m ill, I like to be left alone to get on with it - no fuss. Whereas my partner likes to be taken care of.”
She added: “What I used to do when she was ill was project what I would want, so I’d leave her alone. We’ve had to chat about these things. You’ve got to listen and make compromises.” Speaking to Yours Magazine, Steph added: “My partner and I have this brilliant rule where, if we’re miffed about something, we have 24 hours in which to voice it. It means we have some cracking rows, but we solve things fairly quickly.”
She continued: “It might be over something small – like the dishwasher – but that’s the reason why you’ve got 24 hours to make your point… so it doesn’t grow into a massive collection of things one of us has done.”
Life as a Mother
Steph shared the news in 2019 that she and her partner were expecting their first baby. Their daughter was born in November that year. In 2022, Steph made a rare confession about her home life, recalling changes they made due to their daughter’s behaviour. “We’ve had to put the telly high up on the wall because my daughter, who’s two-and-a-half, is obsessed with pawing the screen,” she said.
Steph added: “It was doing our heads in – every time we sat down [in the] evening, we’d see her handprints all over the screen. Underneath the telly is her little wooden kitchen and all her toys, so that’s our view.”
Past Heartbreak
Steph previously revealed her past romances did not always end well. When discussing songs that evoke strong memories, she mentioned earlier this year that Nerina Pallot's All Bets Are Off transports her back to a time of heartbreak. Speaking to The Guardian, she explained: "[It's] about heartbreak and so the song I play when I'm dumped," adding: "I've been dumped at various points in my life in various ways. It takes me back to a time of utter heartbreak and thinking I'll never get over it."
