Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DECISION DAY
Pride of Britain judges’ hard time choosing your heroes
It was an intense two hours when they were allowed to focus only on the very best of human nature. On courage, sacrifice and the most selfless good deeds. It was unsurprising, then, that amid another difficult year for Britain, it was definitely their most joyous job to date.
Last month, famous names such as newsreader Sir Trevor Mcdonald, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, boxer Nicola Adams, rapper KSI and the NHS’S Dr Ranj Singh, came together to choose the winners of this year’s Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB.
And while their worlds of showbiz, policing, medicine and sport could not be more diverse, they were united in awe at the deeds and achievements of the ordinary men and women, of all ages. Youtube star KSI applauded the “awesome” nominees, originally picked from thousands of contenders.
“It was amazing to hear everyone’s stories,” he said. “It was extremely hard to decide who should get the awards. I was really inspired by all of them, I’m proud to be a part of Pride of Britain.”
Despite the many amazing entries the judges eventually narrowed down the winners from a shortlist of breathtaking
stories of kindness, bravery and dedication, to receive a gong at Saturday night’s star-studded awards.
The judges promised that viewers are in for an inspirational and uplifting treat, not to mention the obligatory annual tears.
Boxer Nicola said: “It’s really good to be able to celebrate the great things that people are doing in this country. It’s definitely going to give everybody something to be proud of.”
Host Carol Vorderman reflected emotionally on the difficulty of judging for the first time without Pride of Britain founder Peter Willis, who died in June.
Inspirational Peter chaired the panel each year with gusto and was desperately missed. Carol also paid tribute to the winners, saying: “Every single nominee was particularly strong so our meeting went on for a lot longer than normal, but we have a really strong group this year, incredible people of all ages. Their stories, particularly now, will inspire people.”
The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, will be broadcast on ITV on November 4 at 8pm.
We have got a really strong group this year, people of all ages