It’s an honour to be a part of it all
HEATHER GREENAWAY chats to hosts Sanjeev Kohli and Elaine C Smith about the Pride of Scotland Awards
WITH less than a day to go until the Pride of Scotland Awards spectacular on STV, hosts Elaine C Smith and Sanjeev Kohli are warning viewers to have the hankies ready.
Still Game star Sanjeev, 50, was so moved by the show’s stories of unsung heroes he had to try very hard not to shed a tear in front of the cameras.
The radio and TV favourite says the glittering ceremony, which will see a host of celebrities including Lulu, Sam Heughan, John Hannah, Ricky Gervais, Eddie Redmayne and Lorraine Kelly honouring the winners, is the perfect antidote to yet another challenging and heartbreaking year.
The dad-of-three adds that he felt both humbled and honoured to be at the helm of the glittering event, and admits he was starstruck to be sharing the stage with his comedy hero Elaine.
Says Sanjeev: “It was an extremely emotional experience and I had to try my hardest to keep my composure when the winners’ stories were revealed. They really got to me but I tried to be professional and not let it show.
“It was a night full of real-life superheroes. Scotland has a million reasons to be proud of its people and these awards are testament to the greatest and most humble Scots on the planet.
“Every single winner got a welldeserved standing ovation and, if they could, I think the audience would have been on their feet the whole time in celebration of their astonishment achievements.
“The atmosphere in the room was a joyful mix of happiness, compassion and wonder and I feel honoured and privileged to have been a part of it all.”
The Pride of Scotland Awards honour some of the country’s most courageous folk, including a brave policewoman who tackled a knifewielding thug, a tiny warrior in desperate need of a lung transplant, a football fan who rescued 50 orphans from Ukraine and an MND sufferer who has raised more than £200,000 to fund a cure.
River City star Sanjeev reveals that, as a dad, it was meeting the Children of Courage that nearly tipped him over the edge.
“I remember seeing the photo of little Mila Sneddon kissing her dad through the window during lockdown as she fought cancer,” says Sanjeev. “To watch her twirling about in her frock on stage and having fun like any other cheeky wee kid was good for the soul. She is a wee firecracker and a symbol of hope in dark times.”
Sanjeev was also moved by fouryear-old Zac Gunn who is waiting for a new set of lungs and Keiran Reid, 12, who has raised thousands for the RNLI after his fisherman dad was drowned at sea.
“All the kids broke my heart,” he says. “Wee Zac’s face when Paw Patrol walked on the stage was priceless and seeing the wonderful young man Keiran has grown into after losing his dad was another poignant moment.”
He also sang the praises of Stevie Carr, who led a mercy mission to rescue children from Ukraine, Jean Cumming, who has devoted her life to helping others through her counselling charity Crisis and Kash Butt, Naveed Bakhsh, and Zain Sehgal who run Boots & Beards an Asian walking group.
Sanjeev, who is married to Fiona, 50, says: “Meeting the orphans Stevie saved brought the horrors taking place in Ukraine into sharp focus. He is just a big, modest guy, who did what his heart told him to do, while expecting no reward. Such an altruistic human being! He puts us all to shame.
“Jean is also a superstar. I have spoken openly about my mental health issues which more and more people do today but back when she started her counselling charity 30 years ago no one did. She was a visionary who spotted the need and was brave enough to tackle it head on.
“As for Boots & Beards, I think what they are doing is amazing. Over the last six years they have made a huge difference to Glasgow’s Asian community by helping them to discover freedom, friendship and mental and physical wellbeing in the great outdoors. As Kash says, the countryside does not see colour.”
As well as being in awe of the wonderful winners, Sanjeev said sharing a stage and screen with his idol Elaine C Smith for the first time is an experience he will never forget.
He reveals: “A couple of times when I was presenting with Elaine I thought I was having an out of body experience. She has done it all. She is another groundbreaker – a total trailblazer for funny women.
“With her talent and presence she could have gone it alone, so I was honoured to be her other half and I think we had good chemistry. I promised I wouldn’t wear my heels so there was no chance of a Mick Fleetwood/Sam Fox Brit Awards situation so hopefully viewers will think it worked.”
Rab C Nesbitt legend Elaine agrees.
“It was a very, very special night – something we’d waited a long time for,” she says. “With Covid and everything else it felt like this had been a long time coming.
“We wanted to make sure it was ‘of Scotland’, it had to reflect us and what makes us unique and it certainly was.”
Elaine, 63, who’ll be back on our screens as nightmare neighbour Christine, in the new series of sitcom Two Doors Down later this month adds: “All of the winners were amazing. I was on the judging panel as well so I knew how wonderful they were – it’s so hard, you want to be able to give everyone an award.
“And it’s what we all need right now, to know more about these inspiring people that are doing such brilliant things in our communities. It can feel like all you’re hearing is bad news, 24 hours a day, so sharing these stories of courage and kindness is brilliant, something we need to do more of.
“I know people will want to know my favourite moment but there were so many stand-out moments, too many to mention.
“But I loved meeting the winners, seeing little Zac’s face when Paw Patrol appeared – it would be like George Clooney coming on for me – meeting Mila Sneddon, seeing Sir Geoff Palmer, this eminent professor who has achieved so much, coming on stage.
“Having Lulu there – singing to us all… It was the best of us, it really was, and a celebration of modern Scotland, how the place has changed and who we are today.”