I grew up watching mum study human poo, says Afton McKeith

Not many can say their mother is a TV nutritionist, fewer still can admit to watching said mother earnestly examine human feces in front of viewers. 

But Gillian McKeith‘s regular appearances on Channel 4 show You Are What You Eat, where she helped families with notoriously poor diets embrace healthier lifestyles, quickly became the norm for her youngest daughter, Afton. 

Appearing as the show’s holistic nutritionist, Gillian developed a degree of notoriety in her own right thanks to her habit of checking human stool samples, believing body malfunction can be determined through the smell and consistency of feces. 

Speaking to MailOnline, Afton admits her mother’s regular TV appearances on Channel 4 led to unwanted attention during her school years. 

‘I thought it was normal having my mum on television,’ she recalled. ‘I assumed that everyone’s mum was on TV because of my mum, but eventually realised that it wasn’t the norm.’

‘Kids at school started coming up to me and asking if my mum is Gillian McKeith,’ Afton continued. ‘I would go bright red as I was quite shy and didn’t know what to say.’ 

Thankfully, Afton was still young when her mother first found fame so got off lightly, but the same couldn’t be said for her sister Skylar, who is now a lawyer.  

‘My sister was older and in secondary school when it all started so she experienced some bullying’, Afton explained. ‘Luckily did not to that extent.’

Yet Afton admits even she wasn’t exempt from her mother’s fastidious poo checks, despite being encouraged to eat healthily from a young age. 

‘She is not obsessed with my poo as I’m quite healthy but she has definitely checked it a few times,’ she said. 

‘My sister used to keep a poo chart and would keep my mum informed!’ 

She added: ‘She brought us up eating very healthily and doing a lot of fitness. My favourite form of fitness is dancing! It’s a way of life for us, I don’t know any different. 

‘I love the way that we eat, it is a gift to have so much knowledge about health thanks to my mum. 

‘I ended up training in health and fitness, attaining 20 qualifications in the field. I am passionate about it as health is the most important aspect in life.’

While Afton is well-versed in the world of nutrition, it is not her calling in life. 

Instead, she’d prefer to follow another aspect of her mother’s life – by going into the entertainment business.  

While Gillian may have been a nutritionist by trade, she quickly made a name for herself as a TV personality, competing in the likes of The X Factor: Battle of the Stars and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

The bright lights of fame are alluring for Afton too, yet she would rather work as an established actress than compete on reality TV. 

Afton – who trained in performing arts at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts – explained: ‘Performing is my passion. I am an actress. I have performed in theatre shows and musicals, TV & film. 

‘I just got back from Los Angeles after acting in an indie feature film.’  

The movie, currently entitled Nick of Time, is set to release next year and will see her star alongside American actor and TikTok star Nic Suarez. 

Yet she’d love nothing more than starring in a period drama, with her dream job being a role in Netflix‘s racy regency series, Bridgerton. 

‘A show like that would be perfect for me,’ she gushed. ‘Or I would love to act in a romantic comedy and work with someone like Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Anniston or Adam Sandler whom I recently bumped into in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago. 

‘He wished me good luck on my movie that I was filming while I was there!’ 

Adam isn’t the only star that Afton has rubbed shoulders with. 

She has developed a bond with Grammy-winning artist Harry Styles, having met him just as he was starting out in his career. 

While the floppy-haired heartthrob may be one of the biggest stars of the moment, it turns out he was left starstruck by a surprising figure – none other than Afton’s mother Gillian! 

Recalling when the McKeiths first bumped into Harry backstage at The X Factor, Afton shared: ‘He and Niall Horan desperately wanted to meet my mum and asked a producer to introduce them to us. 

‘Harry was so excited to meet my mum and was the sweetest person to me. Looking back, it’s kind of funny because now he is one of the biggest stars in the world and when he met my mum, he was literally shaking from excitement and nerves!’ 

Afton added that despite achieving global fame with One Direction, Harry was still just as humble when she bumped into him a few years later at a cafe in London.   

‘His personality had not changed with his newfound fame,’ she explained. ‘He was the same kind, polite and sweet gentleman now as he was back before he rose to fame.’