talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling has completed his MBE and admitted he could never have dreamed of receiving such a prestigious honour.
Stelling received his MBE for services to sport, broadcasting and charity at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
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He enjoyed a decades-long career in sports broadcasting, hosting Soccer Saturday for 25 years until his resignation last year.
Stelling has since taken over from Laura Woods as talkSPORT Monday and Tuesday breakfast host.
The 69-year-old admitted something like this was beyond anything he could have imagined as a child growing up in a council estate.
He said: “I remember growing up in a residential area in Hartlepool and, you know, your main aspiration was actually to get a job to earn a living, because unemployment was so widespread.
Learn more about Jeff Stelling
“You wouldn’t dream of something like this – it’s literally a cliché, beyond your wildest dreams.”
The 69-year-old presenter is also an ambassador for Cancer Research UK and said destigmatising the disease was the “raison d’être” of his charity work.
“With men, especially, we all think we’re big, burly and strong,” he added.
“We don’t go to the doctor – especially if it’s a problem below the waist.
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“So trying to change people’s perspective on this means a lot.”
Stelling has had many highlights during his career, but he admitted the best would “probably be hosting the Champions League final for the first time at Wembley”.
“But I was lucky,” he added.
“I was not a sportsman, I did not play sports, but I spent my life working alongside top athletes and many of them became close friends.
“Again, this is something I could never have dreamed of.”
You can hear Jeff Stelling MBE on talkSPORT Breakfast on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6am.
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