Steph McGovern claims she was labelled “thick” early on in her career

Steph McGovern says that she was thought to be “thick” because of her gender at the start of her TV career. The BBC producer admitted that she was written off by people because she was a woman as well as her North East accent.

However, the dismissal and false perception only motivated her to work harder towards her goal after switching over from her job as an engineer. Speaking to Prima Magazine, she explained:

“People have underestimated me in the past, particularly when I was a business journalist interviewing CEOs. They would automatically assume I was there to make the tea or that I'd be thick.

But it made me think, 'I'm going to show you! I'd say to anyone now who's lacking confidence or might be worried their background will hold them back, 'Actually, it's your superpower.’”

She added that although her coworkers weren’t “mean” to her, the difference in social status made it clear they did not share her outlook on life. However, she soon realized that she could use that to her advantage.

“At first, I felt like I really stood out at the BBC. Nobody was mean to me, but I felt I was unusual because of my background.

I'd suggest stories – such as the fact that people in poorer areas had to hire TVs – and I'd know people were secretly thinking, 'That doesn't happen.’”