‘I love Steve Jones, but I wouldn’t set him up with any of my friends – he’s not good boyfriend material!’ says June Sarpong with her trademark throaty laugh, as she dishes the dirt on her T4 co-host.
When we meet her in a south London studio for our photo shoot, the diminutive TV presenter is definitely up for a good old girlie chat and is happy to spill the beans on the men in her life.
She’s spent the past six-and-a-half years sharing the sofa with some of the best-looking blokes on telly – Vernon Kay, Dermot O’Leary and the Welsh lothario, Mr Jones himself – but says Steve’s the one she’ll miss the most, after announcing she is to leave the show to pursue her own projects.
‘He’s a real ladies’ man. I have never in my life met anyone who gets more women than Steve. He’s obviously gorgeous, but he also likes women. He’s very charismatic and knows how to make you feel like the most important woman in the room. I’ve seen him in action – every time I go out with him. There’ll be a queue of women lining up to get near him, it’s ridiculous. He doesn’t use cheesy chat-up lines, he’s natural, he’s just got it – whatever “it” is.’
June adds she can see why the likes of Pamela Anderson and Halle Berry have fallen for him.
‘He should write a book, a lot of men could learn a thing or two. But I would say if you want the time of your life and a bit of fun, he’s your man.’
Although June concedes she’s happy he’s never actually tried it on with her.
‘He knows better than that. We used to have a pact where we said if neither of us had met anyone by the time we were 35 we’d be forced to marry each other. Luckily, that’s not going to happen.’
Because, of course, June is blissfully happy with her boyfriend. But she’s not giving anything away about him, other than he’s not in showbusiness.
‘It’s better to keep relationships private. In the past I’d talk about my boyfriend, then I’d be forever asked about it. I’ve learnt my lesson. So this time I won’t name him until I’m married.’
And marriage is certainly something the 30-year-old wants, as well as a brood of children.
‘I definitely want to adopt. My mum works with Barnardo’s so I’ve seen the amount of kids who are not wanted. There’s nothing wrong with people like Angelina and Madonna adopting from abroad, but I want to help kids in this country.’
Although June’s not in any rush, and says she’d happily wait five or even 10 years to start a family.
‘The good thing with adoption is it’s not your biological clock so you can put it off for the moment. But I’d like natural babies too, although that’s scary. I’ve just become a godmother so I have a lot of kids around me and I can get away with not having any myself at the moment. For now I want to focus on my career and do television that’s fun and you can have a laugh with and definitely more political stuff.’
The ‘political stuff’ has always been important to June, who has interviewed the likes of Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. She says, ‘Bill Clinton is very charismatic, very charming and funny. He’s good at putting people at ease. But Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela are my all-time favourites. I spent four days with Tony – from Downing Street, to his house in Sedgefield, to the Queen’s private plane, which we nicknamed Blair Force One. It was really interesting to see him at work. He is one of those rock star politicians.
‘I’ve spent time with Gordon Brown too and they’re very different. Gordon seems a lot more serious, but he does have a cheeky side to him. Hopefully that will come out more.’
As for fancying Tony Blair, June admits he’s charming, but says she definitely does not have the hots for him. ‘You can’t look at the Prime Minister like that – unless you’re Monica Lewinsky! No, definitely not. I have a great deal of respect for him but that’s it.’
And with her love of politics, June hopes to distance herself from the general stereotype of beautiful but dumb female TV hosts.
‘I’m the only TV presenter that seems to be interested in political stuff. I’m not a bimbo stereotype. Although “bimbo” presenters are not necessarily a bad thing, if the show’s purely for entertainment. But it’s not for me, I like to be able to do both.’
And June’s certainly done well so far, even earning herself a visit to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE, ‘My parents were really proud!’
It seems she’s in no doubt about what she wants, both in her personal and professional life, and admits she knows what she wants in a man too.
‘My ideal man is somebody who is funny, entertaining and smart. And I like a man to be a man, strong and not weedy. My celebrity crushes are George Clooney, Brad Pitt and US presidential candidate Barack Obama. A mixture of the three would be perfect.’
In fact, June has been lucky enough to meet George and Brad in the flesh, while working on T4, but her all-time favourite is Robert De Niro.
‘I was told he was so bad but he ended up being an absolute darling and very gorgeous too, in a mature way. You wouldn’t expect it, but Tom Cruise is really fun – he didn’t jump on the couch – but he was awesome. He was funny, nice, just a star in that old Hollywood way. And of course George Clooney was lovely.’
As for divas, she say, ‘The show’s really irreverent and fun so we haven’t had any. The only person I can think of is Jack Black, who both Vernon and Steve had a nightmare with. He’s not the fun guy you’d expect. He just doesn’t enjoy interviews and it shows, he can’t be bothered.’
But after six years with T4, and nine years with the show’s predecessor Planet Pop, June says it’s definitely time to move on.
‘I’ve had a really good time and a great run but I don’t want to be presenting pop with my zimmer frame.’
Not that June is going to be sitting at home twiddling her thumbs. She’s spending Christmas with her family, before taking a month-long holiday to Mauritius in January with her boyfriend.
And with her own production company, Lipgloss Productions, picking up speed, plus the launch of a new dating website next year (‘the premise is we act like a good Jewish mum and check out everything for you beforehand’) and a host of new TV shows in the pipeline, she’s going to be keeping herself pretty busy.
‘I’ve always loved talking. Getting paid to talk is pretty cool – I know I’m really lucky.’
June on...:
...not being curvy enough
‘My family are from Ghana, where the women with the biggest bums and boobs are celebrated. Women in the West could learn a lot from them.
I’ve never felt pressure to look a certain way. Growing up in East London it was always the girls with big boobs and bums who were considered gorgeous. I always grew up thinking that was the ideal – I felt I wasn’t curvy enough, so I’ve never subscribed to size zero being the only standard of beauty.’
...her shoe fetish
‘I love fashion. My most extravagant purchase was probably a pair of Christian Louboutin couture shoes, which cost £1,000. But the terrible thing is because they cost so much I don’t want to wear them outside my house! I have a lot of shoes – too many. But I like high street clothes, I tend to be a bit more frugal when I’m buying stuff myself.’
June Sarpong co-hosts T4’s Global Warning with Rick Edwards on Channel 4, December 9
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