“INDIFFERENCE IS A CRIᴍE”: Steph McGovern’s Sh0cking Story Sparks UK Debate on Public Safety!

Returning to TV as a guest on This Morning, journalist and presenter Steph McGovern opened up for the first time about a frightening experience: being stɑlked by an obsessed fan. This real-life episode partly inspired her debut crime novel, Deadline.

In a chat with hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, Steph, 43, shared: “I’ve had a stɑlker. I’ve never really spoken about it before, but weirdly it felt quite therapeutic to write it into fiction.” While the book itself is fictional, some details are based on her personal story.

What surprised viewers most was how casually TV bosses reacted when Steph reported the situation. “They just said: ‘Oh yeah, everyone gets a stɑlker at some point’,” she recalled. Yet the man wasn’t just an overenthusiastic fan; he often showed up exactly where Steph was filming and even offered her lifts home, bringing along her “favorite snacks” — things she had never shared publicly.

More disturbingly, the stɑlker genuinely believed Steph was in love with him. “Every time I’d say ‘Morning everyone!’ on air, he thought I was speaking directly to him,” Steph explained. “And when I posted on social media, he took it as me telling him where to meet.”

Despite the fear, Steph initially tried to stay polite, worrying about the man’s mental state. “I didn’t want to be rude because I didn’t know what was really going on in his head.” But the breaking point came when the stɑlker contacted her family. One day, Steph’s dad called asking: “Steph, who is this guy you’re seeing? He’s sent us a letter.” In the letter, the stɑlker claimed to be her boyfriend and even asked her father’s permission to marry her.

That finally “freaked Steph out,” as she admitted, and prompted the broadcaster’s security team to step in.

Besides sharing this personal story, Steph delighted fans by appearing again on This Morning after some time away from daytime TV. Previously, she was known for BBC Breakfast and later hosted Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 from 2020 until it ended in 2023, leaving many viewers missing her presence.

Viewers shared their love on social media: “Steph is down-to-earth, clever, and funny. Hope to see her more often!”; “Please make Steph the main presenter — she’s so good!”

While it’s unclear whether Steph will return to TV regularly, her honesty, charm, and humor continue to endear her to fans.