OBE for king of the breakfast TV sofa
BREAKFAST TV stalwart Eamonn Holmes said he was looking forward to a Buckingham Palace day out after being honoured with an OBE.
The 58-year-old presenter was rewarded for services to broadcasting after two decades of early morning starts.
Holmes, who presents ITV’s This Morning with wife Ruth Langsford, said he is planning his investiture with caution.
He joked: “No celebrating until you make sure it’s going to happen. The big dilemma is who to bring.
“My daughter is a big royalist, she loves everything to do with the Royal Family so she’s booked her place.
“Ruth would stand aside to allow our 15-year-old son to go, he would be very proud. We have that dilemma so three tickets would be perfect.”
He added: “It’s like getting a gold star for your homework. 2018 will be my 38th year as a broadcaster and I can’t think of a better way of marking that.”
Belfast-born Holmes became king of the sofa, presenting GMTV, Sky News’ Sunrise and This Morning, after starting at Ulster Television aged 19.
Actor Hugh Laurie was made a CBE for services to drama. The 58-year-old became a household name through comedy, starring in partnership with Stephen Fry and in the 1980s Blackadder sitcom series.
Other stars made a CBE from an OBE include Jilly Cooper, writer of racy best-selling novels about the rich and glamorous, celebrity chef Rick Stein and former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.
Actresses Susan Hampshire and Julia McKenzie also got CBEs, while singer Marc Almond was awarded an OBE for services to arts and culture.
Baron Melvyn Bragg and Lady Antonia Fraser joined the Order of the Companion of Honour for services to broadcasting and the arts and services to literature respectively.
Lynne Franks, the public relations guru who inspired the hit sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, was awarded an OBE, as was Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut.