Miriam Margolyes apologises to Steph McGovern for past rude remarks

Miriam Margolyes has issued an apology for remarking to Steph McGovern that she is 'not beautiful.'

The 82-year-old Harry Potter actress, known for her candid and outspoken nature, found herself in an unusual moment of regret during her appearance on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch while tuning in from Italy on Thursday.

Steph, 41, brought up a previous show in 2021 where Miriam had made less-than-complimentary comments about her appearance, directly telling her that she doesn't consider her 'beautiful.'

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!'

Luckily Steph saw the funny side of the blunt comment while the rest of the studio roared with laughter.

But Miriam - who clearly didn't remember the previous conversation - was left red-faced, and admitted she had been 'awful'.

Despite the studio finding humor in the blunt remark, Miriam, seemingly unaware of the prior conversation, felt embarrassed and acknowledged that she had been 'awful.'

In the earlier 2021 appearance via video link, Miriam had told Steph, 'you're not beautiful,' initially discussing her own career and admitting, 'I've had a very, very lucky career because I'm not pretty.'