Ex TV-am host Nick Owen receives MBE: BBC presenter, who was hailed for revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis last year, is awarded gong at Windsor Castle
Former TV-am presenter Nick Owen has received his MBE award at Windsor Castle - after receiving praise for going public with his prostate cancer diagnosis.
Former TV-am presenter Nick Owen has received his MBE award at Windsor Castle - after receiving praise for going public with his prostate cancer diagnosis.
The BBC Midlands Today host beamed after being presented with the gong by the Princess Royal Princess Anne at Windsor Castle today.
Viewers have been congratulating the 76-year-old television veteran on the award, after he was widely praised for going public with his health ordeal over the past year.
He bowed his head then shook hands with Princess Anne when receiving the honour in this mornings ceremony.
Owen, who has spent 50 years in broadcasting, said ahead of the event: Im absolutely delighted and feel very honoured.
Veteran broadcaster Nick Owen, 76, received his MBE honour at Windsor Castle today
The former TV-am presenter was given the award by the Princess Royal Princess Anne
I still cant get my head around it. I feel very passionate about this job and I feel very lucky to still be doing it.
Among the shows he has presented in the past is Good Morning With Anne And Nick, alongside co-presenter Anne Diamond, on BBC1 in the 1990s.
He has also worked closely with charities including the Edwards Trust, Baby Lifeline and Prostate Cancer UK.
His MBE award, for services to charity and broadcasting, was announced in June as part of the Kings Birthday Honours.
He received new congratulations today on X, formerly Twitter, with Baby Lifeline founder Judy Ledger telling him: Enjoy your special day being bestowed with a well deserved MBE.
Musician and radio presenter Ian Danter posted: Have a brilliant day today receiving your honour, Nick. Richly deserved.
Owen had revealed in August last year that he was battling extensive and aggressive prostate cancer in August, and had since been successfully treated.
He described how his first decision was to tell his four adult children, three of them men, so they could be aware of the potentially hereditary illness and warning signs.
BBC presenter Nick Owen got the MBE for services to charity and broacasting
Owen, seen bowing to Princess Anne, has been widely praised over the past year for speaking out about being diagnosed with prostate cancer
He was a breakfast TV mainstay in the 1990s alongside long-time co-host Anne Diamond
He told the Deadly Silent podcast which he hosts: I’ve been through the middle of it. And I realised that the sooner you get seen the better.
We had an MRI, there was a hint there was something going on. Then I had a biopsy. And that would tell us that it was really nasty and aggressive. And we need to do something quickly.
Telling my children was difficult. I’ve got four children, three are our boys, two in their forties and one in their late thirties, and it was quite emotional.
He added: Also, as far as the boys [Andy, Tim and Chris] are concerned, it’s a warning because it can be a hereditary thing.
I’m very keen for my boys to be extremely on the case. I’ll work on them to go earlier than 50, to be honest, to have the PSA tests. And the message has to be if you have got any hint of a worry, get someone to look at it.
Owen received his diagnosis just weeks after his former co-presenter Anne Diamond, 70, revealed she was battling breast cancer and had undergone a mastectomy.
Speaking about the debilitating impact the condition has had on his life, Owen told BBC Ones Midlands Today: I went to a specialist, he wasnt too worried because my figures werent that high.
But he decided I ought to have a scan, and then the scan said theres something dodgy going on, and then he sent me for a biopsy, which he did.
Nick Owen said ahead of todays ceremony: Im absolutely delighted and feel very honoured
Ahead of meeting Princess Anne, he added: I still cant get my head around it. I feel very passionate about this job and I feel very lucky to still be doing it
Nick Owen, seen here appearing on ITVs Lorraine show in January 2018, revealed in August last year he was battling extensive and aggressive prostate cancer
And the results of that were the killer - on April the 13th, a date (which) will forever be imprinted on my mind.
He told us that it was extensive, really, and aggressive, and I had prostate cancer full-on and something needed to be done pretty fast.
And that was probably the worst day of my life, or certainly one of them.
He added: It was a very grim moment. Driving home after that sort of news and ringing people, texting people, my phone went crazy for hours on end.
And it was a very, very difficult time for me, and indeed for my wife Vicki, who was by my side all the time through this, you know.
Owen married Vicki Beevers in July 2020, having previously been married to Jill Lavery, with whom he has four children.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with figures suggesting one in eight men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives and more than 52,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.
Also due to receive honours at Windsor Castle today are three Conservative politicians being knighted by the Princess Royal.
Nick Owen has said his first decision after being diagnosed with prostate cancer was to tell his four children, so they could be aware of the potentially hereditary illness and its warning signs
Owen received his diagnosis just weeks after his former TV-am co-presenter Anne Diamond revealed she was battling breast cancer and has undergone a mastectomy
TV presenter Nick Owen and his wife Vicki Beevers, who married in 2020, are seen leaving BBC studios in Manchester after chatting about his current health condition
Former Tory ministers Sir David Davis and Sir Gavin Williamson and ex-backbencher Sir Philip Davies were given the accolades for public service.
Sir Gavin, 48, who was twice sacked as a Cabinet minister and oversaw the exams fiasco during the coronavirus pandemic, was recommended for the honour by Boris Johnson in 2022.
The Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge MPs knighthood was widely criticised after a series of gaffes he made as education secretary, including confusing footballer Marcus Rashford with England rugby star Maro Itoje.
He was sacked from the role in September 2021, having previously been axed as defence secretary after an inquiry into a leak from the National Security Council.
Labour politicians condemned the honour, including now-Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who tweeted: Reward for failure. Shameless.
Sir Gavin, who helped run Mr Johnsons successful 2019 campaign to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader, was honoured on the basis of his political and public service.
Sir David, 75, the MP for Goole and Pocklington, served as Brexit secretary during Mrs Mays period as prime minister.
Former Shipley MP Sir Philip, whose wife is former minister Esther McVey, was recommended for a knighthood by another former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis was also honoured today, receiving a knighthood
Ex-England football international and coach Chris Powell was given his MBE honour
Powell was among 130 people being given their gongs by Princess Anne at Windsor today
He held the Yorkshire seat from 2005 until the general election earlier this year.
The 130 people being recognised by Anne today also include former England football coach Chris Powell, made an MBE.
He was part of Gareth Southgates England coaching team at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
He played more than 700 matches with clubs including Southend United, Charlton Athletic and Derby County, is currently an assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday and won five England caps when the late Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge.
