Louise Minchin: BBC Breakfast host speaks out on Steph McGovern's departure

Louise Minchin, 50, and the rest of the BBC Breakfast team bade farewell to Steph McGovern, 37, earlier this week as the reporter left the programme on maternity leave. Steph is currently expecting her first child with her girlfriend. On Twitter, Louise told her 163,000 followers she was going to miss her co-star, writing: “We are going to miss you so much @stephbreakfast. Good luck with the baby, lots and lots of love and see you soon,” she added.

In a video which the BBC Breakfast team put together as a send off for Steph, Louise also joked about the presenter’s upcoming journey into motherhood.

“Steph, my darling, loads and loads of luck,” she said earnestly.

“It will be absolutely the best thing you’ve ever done in your whole life and the most brilliant thing from our point of view is I know that you will become a loyal BBC Breakfast viewer because at 6am it’s just us to talk to!” Louise quipped.

Also among the colleagues who featured in the video was Naga Munchetty, 44, who told Steph: “I’m sorry I won’t be there for your last day.

“I’m going to miss you loads. I know you’re going to love every minute and be a brilliant mum,” she added.

Meanwhile, Steph McGovern addressed Dan Walker being “missing” from her BBC Breakfast goodbye message.

It was a Twitter user who first drew attention to the 42-year-old host’s absence, writing: “No Dan Walker, hope he was missed accidentally. Good luck Steph.”

Steph went on to reassure the fan, saying: “He has sent a separate one… he likes his own space.”

In the clip, the show’s reporter Ben Thompson also wished his co-star well, saying: “I can’t believe that you’re off leaving me to all those high-vis, hard hats, white coats, the wellies…

“I know how much you love then and how much you will miss them,” he continued. “But I’m going to send some dinky baby-sized ones instead.”

The BBC Breakfast favourite is due to give birth to her first child in November, having confirmed her pregnancy in July.

She announced the news on Twitter, telling her 368,000 followers: “I see my news is out! Yep, I am no longer with pot belly… I am now with child.”

Louise has been one of BBC Breakfast’s main presenters since 2012, having previous worked as a stand-in for the hosts.

This week, Louise Minchin joked about being replaced on the BBC Breakfast, uploading a snap to Twitter which showed her usual spot next to Dan being occupied by editor Kevin Maguire.

“I appear to have lost my seat!” she wrote, adding the hashtag: “#musicalchairs.”

BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One.

source: express.co.uk