Breakfast
I get up at 3.30am. We’re on air from 6am, so if I’m in the studio, I’ll have eggs at around 7am from the canteen – scrambled or poached, occasionally with a slice of brown toast. If I’m on the road, though, say, a factory visit, it’ll be a bacon butty with the team. Which is great, a real treat. But it’s all downhill from there.
Lunch
If it’s a healthy day, I’ll head to the gym, then have a steak salad at the cafe next door. But if it’s a bacon butty day, it might be a ham and cheese sandwich. The other week, I had that four days in a row, thinking: how is this possible? It’s that I’m basically just grabbing what’s to hand – I know Virgin Trains’ West Coast menu off by heart.
Snacks
On a healthy day, I’ll have nuts; otherwise, it’s a bag of Monster Munch – I’m a crisp monster. And I definitely have a sugar belly – when you work long shifts, you crave sugar. I gave it up for a while, and it made such a difference to my tiredness and my mood, but that didn’t last long. Drinks-wise, I stick to water, sometimes a Diet Coke. I think tea is like sucking on a leaf, and I’m never going to order a fancy coffee – which in my team is quite unusual I feel like I’m letting the family down.
Dinner
I’m in bed by 8pm, so it’s something light at 5pm: a stir-fry or chicken with veg. I won’t cook it, though. You’ll never see me on anything like MasterChef. I’m just not interested.
- Steph McGovern is a presenter on BBC Breakfast
