Steph McGovern forced to defend photo of rarely-seen daughter

Steph McGovern has been forced to defend a picture of her daughter after being mum-shamed by Instagram commenters. 

Broadcast star Steph McGovern, 43, posted a slew of pictures from her summer adventures to her Instagram which featured her enjoying the sunshine around North Tyneside.

“You’ll find me by the duck pond, inflatables, mini golf, beach…and repeat…for the whole summer,” Steph wrote in the caption beneath the snaps. “Love living on the North East coast.” 

The pictures included of her five-year-old daughter standing by the water’s edge with a net while Steph smiled in the foreground. However, commenters took the opportunity to ‘mum-shame’ the star. 

“Crikey,” one commenter wrote. “I would be keeping a close eye on your daughter who is so close to the waters [sic] edge instead of taking a selfie.” 

Steph quickly clapped back, writing: “Her grandad is stood next to her, I’ve just cropped him out of the shot.” 

Steph’s parenting fears 

At 43, Steph calls her daughter her proudest achievement, though she admits that the profound life change has magnified her worries. Sitting down with HELLO!, Steph revealed that she is often plagued by parenting fears. 

Asked how motherhood has changed her, Steph explained that motherhood brings “this underlying fear of something going wrong” and a heightened sense of her own mortality.

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“There’s the constant worry of, ‘Is she going to be all right crossing the road?’ and ‘Is she going to be all right in school today?’ You just have this underlying fear of something going wrong. Me and my partner are both healthier now because we’re [thinking] ‘We have got to try and live as long as we can, for her.’ Gone are the days of thinking ageing was a bad thing, ageing is a privilege.” 

For Steph, the fear was amplified in the early stages of motherhood.  “When she was a baby, I was googling poo colours… and any rash, [I was thinking] is it the rash, get a glass, get the neighbours to come in and check what type of rash it is.'” 

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The former BBC Breakfast presenter also touched on the joys of motherhood, revealing to HELLO! that it’s given her a new perspective on the things she used to take for granted. “It’s teaching you to see the world again through their little eyes, and having an appreciation for nature and what’s around you.”