ITV viewers were left in tears within minutes of the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards.
The esteemed event, hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo, took place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday (October 21) and was televised on Thursday (October 24).
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the annual awards show honours the UK’s unsung heroes who have shown immense bravery, carried out selfless acts, or triumphed over great adversity.
Emotions ran high among the audience as the deserving recipients took to the stage to receive their accolades. Viewers quickly took to social media to express their reactions, with one fan writing on X, previously known as Twitter: “3 minutes in and I’m crying already.”
Others prepared for a tearful evening, with comments like: “Tissue at the ready.”, reports the Manchester Evening News. Some couldn’t contain their emotions, sharing sentiments such as: “Sobbing already.”
Admirers of the awardees’ courage also voiced their awe, with one saying: “Florrie is just absolutely incredible she is so positive considering what she is going through and is an inspiration.” Another viewer admitted: “Well, I’m sobbing and it’s only the first story with Florrie- 2 hours of this I’ll be in bits.”
Carol herself was moved earlier in the week when discussing a winner’s tale on ITV’s This Morning, where she appeared alongside award recipient Florrie Bark to speak about the heartwarming ceremony.
Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards made hearts swell when she surprised Florrie with the Child of Courage award for this year. The brave youngster, who has been battling acute myeloid leukaemia since her early years and is currently waiting for a lung transplant, has demonstrated remarkable resilience and optimism through it all.
Her spirit and ability to inspire have truly made her an emblem of courage. On This Morning, presenter Cat Deeley brought up Carol’s longstanding connection with the show. Overcome with emotion, the ex-Countdown star openly shared her sentiments, teary-eyed as she admitted: “I’m having a moment”.
Florrie couldn’t contain her delight upon receiving the accolade, sharing: “It feels so strange, and I feel so happy and excited to win a Pride of Britain award. When Perrie started talking to me I was so shocked, and I was like, ‘What is going on? ‘ I didn’t know what to do. I was so happy,” clearly elated by her unexpected victory.
The Pride of Britain awards, in existence since 1999, are hosted with the support and partnership of entities including the Daily Mirror, TSB Bank, Lidl, ITV, Good Morning Britain, and The Prince’s Trust.