Not many people can say that their mother is a television nutritionist, and even fewer can admit to having seen said mother seriously examine human feces in front of viewers.
But Gillian McKeith’s regular appearances on Channel 4’s You Are What You Eat, where she helped families with notoriously poor diets adopt 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 fecal samples, believing that bodily malfunctions can be determined through the smell and consistency of stool.
Speaking to MailOnline, Afton admits that her mother’s regular appearances on Channel 4 television earned her unwanted attention during her school years.
“I thought it was normal for my mother to appear on television,” she recalls. “I assumed that everyone’s mother appeared on television because of my mother, but eventually I realized that it wasn’t the norm.”
Afton McKeith has revealed that while she grew up embarrassed by her mother’s obsession with poop, she now has the last laugh with a Hollywood career on the horizon.
Speaking to MailOnline, Afton admits her mother’s regular appearances on Channel 4 TV earned her unwanted attention during her school years (pictured together in 2023).
“Kids at school started coming up to me and asking if my mother was Gillian McKeith,” Afton continued. “I would blush so much because I was quite shy and didn’t know what to say.”
Fortunately, Afton was still young when her mother rose to fame, so she did not do badly, but the same cannot be said for her sister Skylar, who is now a lawyer.
“My sister was older and in high school when it all started, so she experienced some bullying,” Afton explained. “Luckily, it didn’t go that far.”
However, Afton admits that even she was not exempt from her mother’s meticulous stool monitoring, despite being encouraged to eat healthily from a young age.
“She’s not obsessed with my poop because I’m pretty healthy, but she’s definitely checked it out a few times,” she said.
‘My sister used to keep track of her stools and keep my mother informed!’
She added: ‘He taught us to eat very healthily and to exercise a lot. My favourite form of exercise is dancing! It’s a way of life for us, I don’t know anything else.
‘I love the way we eat, it’s a gift to have so much knowledge about health thanks to my mom.
“I ended up training in health and fitness and obtained 20 qualifications in that field. I am passionate about it because health is the most important aspect of life.”
Not many people can say their mother is a TV nutritionist, and even fewer can admit to having seen said mother seriously examine human feces in front of viewers (Gillian in You Are What You Eat).
Fortunately, Afton was still young when her mother rose to fame, so she didn’t have any problems, but the same can’t be said for her sister Skylar (right), who is now a lawyer (pictured in 2016).
While Afton has extensive knowledge in the world of nutrition, that is not her calling in life.
Instead, she would rather follow another aspect of her mother’s life: entering the world of show business.
While Gillian may have been a nutritionist by trade, she quickly made a name for herself as a television personality, competing on shows such as The X Factor: Battle of the Stars and I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!
The bright lights of fame are also appealing to Afton, although she would rather work as an established actress than compete on reality shows.
Afton, who trained in performing arts at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, explained: “Acting is my passion. I am an actress. I have acted in theatre shows and musicals, on television and in film.
‘I just got back from Los Angeles after acting in an independent film.’
The film, currently titled Nick of Time, is set to be released next year and will see her starring alongside American actor and TikTok star Nic Suarez.
However, she would love nothing more than to star in a period drama, and her dream job is a role in Netflix’s swashbuckling regency series Bridgerton.
“A show like that would be perfect for me,” she enthused. “Or I’d love to be in a romantic comedy and work with someone like Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Anniston or Adam Sandler, who I recently met up with in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago.”
‘He wished me good luck on the movie I was filming while I was there!’
While Afton is an expert in the world of nutrition, it is not her calling in life. Instead, she would prefer to follow another aspect of her mother’s life: dedicating herself to the world of show business (pictured, 2019)
Afton, who trained in performing arts at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, explained: “Acting is my passion.”
Adam isn’t the only star Afton has rubbed shoulders with.
She has developed a bond with Grammy-winning artist Harry Styles, whom she met just as she was starting her career.
While the floppy-haired heartthrob may be one of the biggest stars out there right now, it turns out he was starstruck by a surprising figure: none other than Afton’s mom, Gillian!
Recalling when the McKeiths first met Harry backstage at The X Factor, Afton shared: ‘He and Niall Horan desperately wanted to meet my mum and asked a producer to introduce us to them.
“Harry was so excited to meet my mum and was the sweetest person to me. Looking back, it’s kind of funny because he’s one of the biggest stars in the world now and when he met my mum, he was literally shaking with excitement and nerves!”
Afton added that despite having achieved worldwide fame with One Direction, Harry remained just as humble when she bumped into him a few years later in a London cafe.
“His personality had not changed with his newfound fame,” she explained. “He was the same kind, polite, sweet gentleman as before he became famous.”
Afton has developed a bond with Grammy-winning artist Harry Styles, whom she met just as she was starting her career (Harry pictured on The X Factor in 2010).