Steph McGovern 'mortified' by incident on plane after experiencing 'crippling pain' since she was 12

Steph McGovern has opened up about a "mortifying" incident where she suffered a period leak in public. The 42 year old journalist and presenter, who hosted Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4 until December 2023, was close to tears after she started bleeding on an aeroplane.

In full panic mode and unable to clean herself up, Steph recounted the ordeal to her 128,000 Instagram followers, earning praise for her honesty. Her fans commended her for helping to "normalise" period discussions and "sharing the reality" that millions experience daily.

On Instagram, the presenter shared: "Like lots of us, I've been having painful, heavy periods since I was 12... And that can mean hormones going wild, embarrassing leaks in public, crippling pain at work. Us lasses just put up with it don't we? Now after 30 years I need a rant about it.."

READ MORE:Great British Bake Off stars scream as Alison Hammond suffers nasty fall

READ MORE:ITV The Chase star Darragh Ennis' life away from show with mystery wife

Read more Great British Bake Off stars scream as Alison Hammond suffers nasty fall

She described how, while flying to London for a meeting about a new TV show, she experienced stomach cramps. Despite being on the fourth day of her period and having taken painkillers, Steph continued to prepare for work, trying to ignore the discomfort.

However, upon landing, she couldn't overlook the "gushing" sensation, even though she was wearing a tampon, a liner, and black jeans. She recounted: "Then another more powerful gush came and this time I felt blood running down my leg... I looked down and saw the blood, which was now on my white trainers.

"I was mortified. Not only was I surrounded by businessmen, I could feel more and more blood coming out. I had no idea what to do. I tried to wipe the blood off my leg and trainers with my coat sleeve hoping no one would notice. Fortunately my coat was long enough to cover my body, but I didn't know what was coming next."

Steph, who occasionally presented BBC Breakfast between 2012 and 2019, added: "From the plane I had to get a bus to the terminal and the whole time I was trying not to cry (or get blood anywhere else). Eventually I got to the loo and was able to clean myself up as best I could. Thank god I had some spare knicks and trousers in my case!".

She then went to her meeting "pretending nothing had happened" and "praying it wasn't going to happen again". Opening up to her followers, she said that such experiences are "familiar" to many, and shared her frustration about feeling "embarrassed' about periods when it's "not our fault"."

"I know they are what help us have babies and I am very grateful for my little girl. But honestly 30 years of this (minus the preggers years). It's a joke," the star added. She received an outpouring of support from fans on social media, with numerous people thanking Steph for bringing attention to the issue.