Miriam Margolyes has confessed that she was ‘terrible’ for referring to Steph McGovern as unattractive.
The 82-year-old Harry Potter actress is well-known for expressing her mind and seldom holds back when it comes to sharing her thoughts.
While her harsh statements are frequently amusing, she has now backtracked on a prior remark that hit below the belt.
Miriam was reminded of the moment she took aim at the presenters’ looks during her appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Thursday.
Steph, 41, who called in from Italy, brought up Miriam’s visit on the show in 2021, when the actress made some unflattering remarks about her appearance.
Miriam informed her to her face that she didn’t believe Steph was ‘beautiful’ during that encounter.
As Miriam told her she was ‘looking good’ and complimented her ‘sparkly top’, Steph said: ‘Thank you – because I remember the last time you were on. You said to me about not being pretty which then set off a whole thing.
‘I know you weren’t saying it as an insult – you were just saying that I might potentially have other things I could offer rather than looks!’
Although Steph recognised the amusing side of the remarks, Miriam – who didn’t appear to recall the earlier comments – was left-red faced and admitting what she’d done was ‘terrible’.
‘What cheek of me! My god, I’m sorry I said that. How rude!’ she said to Steph.
However, Steph replied: ‘Listen, that’s what I love about you. You just say what you think! And where does that confidence come from?
‘You strike me as someone who just says how you feel and how you think and that is so refreshing.’
Miriam went on and said that while she liked to ‘tell the truth’, she didn’t think she should always ‘just say what pops into my head because it might hurt someone and it’s rude’.
‘And that sounds as if I’m saying you’re not pretty or something like that which is awful. I should never say that!’
She then declared she was going to punish herself by ‘spanking’ herself ‘several times’.
During her last appearance on the show Miriam had initially been reflecting on her own appearance and said she’d had a ‘very very lucky career’ because she ‘wasn’t pretty’.
‘I’m short and fat and I’ve got no neck. That’s a real disadvantage but I managed to make a living and that’s a great credit to me.’
While Steph said she should avoid making ‘derogatory’ comments about herself, Miriam added: ‘I am not beautiful! That’s true!’
She then switched her gaze to Steph’s beauty and offered what looked to be a backhanded complement.
‘You have to accept these things darling! I mean you’re not beautiful, but you’ve got something that makes people want to watch you and I’ve got the same.’
Steph responded by saying that she believed the actress was ‘onto something there because I think being beautiful is a hindrance’.
‘I’m glad I’m not the beautiful one because then there’s too many expectations on you. You’re better off being us.’
This was not the first time Miriam’s remarks turned overly personal.
In 2020, Ofcom got 402 complaints when she stated on The Last Leg that she ‘wanted Boris Johnson to die’ from coronavirus.
The following year, she said on The Graham Norton Show that she “really didn’t like” Winona Ryder, whom she called a “shoplifter,” and last year she called Leonardo Di Caprio “smelly.”
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays from 12pm on Channel 4.
