One BBC Breakfast star admitted she was forced to ‘starve’ herself while appearing on the morning programme amid a “horrendous” health battle.
Steph McGovern, now host of Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, was a presenter on the famous red sofa from 2011 until 2018.
The 40-year-old has now confessed that she wouldn’t eat until filming for the programme ended, well after 9am, after being on-screen since 6am.
READ MORE: BBC Breakfast’s Carol Kirkwood was in tears backstage over ‘shock’ split from husband
It was all on account of her Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which she was frightened of setting off while presenting on-air.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Steph confessed her gut was “totally” bad when getting up for the show early in the morning.
(Image: Channel 4)
“It was horrendous,” she admitted.
The star went on: “I did what a lot of people do, which is to just go, ‘Oh, I’ve just got one of those tummy things, I’ve just got dodgy bowels.’
“When I was doing Breakfast telly, I wouldn’t eat until I’d finished broadcasting because, even if I was starving, I’d be so worried about having to run to the loo.”
Steph would also have to “work out where the toilets were” while filming on location, confessing that when it was all over she’d tuck into a bacon sandwich.
“Then I might try to be healthy and have a smoothie, but then I’d just find that would be worse. I’d be in pain, diarrhoea – horrendous.”
Steph couldn’t even eat fruit because it would set her tummy off – though the star now admits “it was just because I didn’t have the gut diversity.”
Now, Steph says she is “in control” of her condition after adopting a “smart wellness” plan from Dr Julia Jones.
She has even dropped two dress sizes as a result of the plan, which she insists is not a “mad diet”.
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It comes after the show turned rather tense on Monday morning, as Carol Kirkwood snapped at her co-star Jon Kay over a weather blunder.
Jon noticed a technical error appearing on the weather screen, as a random T had popped up next to the box reading Tuesday, and couldn’t resist pointing it out.
Carol couldn’t help but snap: “Yeah, thanks Jon!” as Sally Nugent later warned: “Carol’s had a very busy morning already! She’s on her own, and she’s spinning a lot of plates.”
Thoroughly told off, Jon said: “Okay, okay, okay!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
