Steph McGovern

“I am a young woman, with a regional accent, from a working class family, who has had a pretty standard education. So far, so ordinary. But in the places I've worked, one or more of these things would put me in the minority.”

“I, like many annoying pedants, will wince when someone says 'less' when they should have said 'fewer.' But my 'poor' sounds like poo-ah, not pore; and my 'grass' rhymes with mass, not farce. What's wrong with that?”

“It's inevitable that not everyone will like me, and that some will find me annoying. That's fine. All presenters deal with that. What's scary is the ignorance about what having a regional accent means, or indeed doesn't mean. It certainly doesn't equal ignorance.”

“Given how dangerous it is for someone to consume something they are allergic to, you would think that companies would just make sure they print labels which have the allergy information on.”

“I meet a lot of people with my BBC Breakfast job who have great businesses.”

“I'm proud to be from the North-East.”

“I look at my bank account every day. I constantly think about what is going in and out, and I will always try to save money on something if I can.”

“I am not with child - I am with pot belly.”

“I was a journalist's dream case study; a gobby girl with an accent who was good at engineering.”

“If it's a healthy day, I'll head to the gym, then have a steak salad at the cafe next door.”

“I've had tweets questioning whether I really did go to university because surely I would have lost my accent if I did; a letter suggesting, very politely, that I get correction therapy; and an email saying I should get back to my council estate and leave the serious work to the clever folk.”

“Business leaders regularly complain that young people don't leave school with the right skills. Encouraging young people to be entrepreneurs makes the connection between school and the world of work, teaching them about practical thinking, team-work, communication and financial literacy.”

“My first attempt at a business was a jumble sale which I ran at the end of my next door neighbour's drive. I used to rummage through her garage, looking for anything that I thought people might buy. I'd then set up a table and try to sell what I could to the people walking by.”

“I meet so many business women who shy away from the limelight or hesitate to put themselves forward for promotion, despite the fact they are brilliant at their jobs.”

“I always felt I had to prove my intelligence.”

“I see myself as a bit of a capitalist really - I like enterprise and making money.”

“I think people tend to underestimate you when you have a Northern accent, for instance if you have to talk to the CEO of an international company. But then when I'm talking to someone in a factory, it's just like being with my mum's mates.”

“Kids have some of the best ideas - bringing new eyes to old problems.”

“Drinks-wise, I stick to water, sometimes a Diet Coke.”

“With the 'Watchdog Army' we're putting viewers at the heart of the programme.”