Pride Of Britain Awards 2020: Kate Garraway is dubbed ‘amazing’

Kate Garraway was dubbed ‘amazing’ by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for her resilience amid her husband Derek Draper’s COVID-19 battle during the annual Pride Of Britain Awards on Sunday evening.  

Kate, 53, was joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton in a pre-recorded segment to honour the NHS – a cause close to the Good Morning Britain anchor’s heart since her husband contracted coronavirus months ago.

Thanking the Duke and Duchess for joining her for the show, Kate, 38, replied: ‘I think you’re amazing to do this – you’ve had such a hard time yourself. How are you all doing?’

‘We are doing okay – it’s very difficult, you can’t visit. The children still haven’t been able to visit. I think that is a huge pressure for everybody.’

William, 38, said: ‘It’s been very difficult for a lot of people.’ To which Kate replied: ‘You’ve had it in your own family as well!’

‘Yeah, my father had it very early on,’ William said, with Kate adding that Prince Charles contracted COVID-19 around the same time as Derek, 53, did. 

Kate revealed on Friday that her husband, a former Blair lobbyist, was able to whisper the word ‘pain’ to his wife, who watched on ‘in tears’ over FaceTime.

He was originally admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms on March 30 and remains seriously ill.

She said in a later VT about the NHS: ‘There is no doubt the NHS has saved Derek’s life. You can never find enough words to say thank you!’

William and Kate went on to award the National Health Service with the Special Recognition Award.

The Duke said: ‘NHS workers have worked tirelessly around the clock, putting their own lives on the line. We have been inspired by stories of bravery and selflessness. Some have left their families, some have come out of retirement to fight the pandemic.’

The Duchess added: ‘And the hard work still goes on. We remain indebted to them. It is a tremendous honour for us to present this award to the dedicated staff across the country.’

Elsewhere, Katherine Jenkins was seen honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore with a Special Recognition Award.

The centenarian inspired Britain and the world with a lockdown walking challenge that raised more than £38 million for NHS charities when, in March, Captain Tom set off to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.

He hoped to raise £1,000 in tribute to the hospital staff who had cared for him during treatment for cancer. Within days, his efforts had caught the imagination of people from every corner of the country and beyond.

He was also knighted by the Queen in July, in her first public engagement since lockdown began, in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle.

On Sunday’s show, the moment Captain Tom received his trophy in October was shown, being handed it by some of the children he inspired to raise money.

He said afterwards: ‘It feels absolutely amazing. I am totally in awe of this award, it is such a prestigious one. The children are marvellous, I think they are all absolutely brilliant, it is great to see the children raising money for their chosen charities and they are all such wonderful characters, it is a delight to see.’

He added: ‘I certainly have no plans to stop anytime soon, I’m not done yet not by a long chalk. The compassion and love that I have been shown from far and wide has given me renewed purpose and re-energised me.

‘Through The Captain Tom Foundation my family and I have a mission to inspire hope where it is needed most. I do hope we can continue to inspire others as together we have a real chance to ensure that tomorrow will be a good day.’

22-time host of annual awards Carol Vorderman opened the 2020 ceremony with a grand entrance at the top of the show, a glam look and a political dig.

The presenter, 54, kicked off proceedings by flying across London’s skyline at sunset, looking sensational in a glam ensemble, her blonde locks fluttering in the breeze.

Touching down at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea – illuminated for the occasion with a stunning Pride Of Britain Awards set and red, white and blue lights in celebration of this year’s winners – Carol stunned in a sparkling blue gown as she introduced the awards – this year held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carol was sure to start things off with a tongue-in-cheek opening speech, referencing the events of the past seven months.

‘Whether you’ve been working from the kitchen table, home-schooling the kids, teaching your nan to Zoom, or even taking a day trip to Barnard Castle, they’ve been tough times for us all,’ Carol said – the latter a jibe at Boris Johnson’s Chief Adviser Dominic Cummings’ infamous outing in April, which saw him flout lockdown rules. 

As the awards aired on ITV, landmarks across London, including the London Eye, BT Tower and County Hall, were also seen lit up in the colours of the union jack flag.

Carol was joined for the awards by the likes of Ashley Banjo and Susanna Reid to introduce some of the winners.

Susanna looked stunning in a sparkling floor-length red cocktail dress and introduced the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser Award winner, Tony Hudgell, who at five-years-old raised more than £1 million in a lockdown walking challenge, inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The youngster was surprised by his heroes Ant & Dec, who dressed up as Nutcracker soldiers to hand him his prize. 

Ashley was joined by his Diversity co-star Jordan Banjo, along with footballer Marcus Rashford, to award Child Of Courage Emmie Narayn-Nicholasw with her prize.

Emmie – a schoolgirl and leukaemia patient – was inspired to provide meals, support and comfort to the families of other seriously-ill children.

In a double-honour, Ashley and Jordan also presented Manchester United and England star Marcus with a Special Recognition award for his remarkable campaign to stop kids going hungry.

Marcus, 22, dedicated his time in lockdown to fight on behalf of the 200,000 disadvantaged children on free school meals, and forced Boris Johnson into a u-turn over plans to end support over the summer.

Marcus, who relied on free school dinners when he was growing up in Manchester, also helped to raise £20m to feed another three million people, and is continuing to provide a powerful voice for under-privileged families.

Former victim of domestic violence Rebecca Beattie was awarded the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever prize for setting up Always B. U, an ethical clothing brand dedicated to raising awareness of domestic violence.

Rebecca was with her ex-partner, who physically abused her, for five years. She struggled to provide the basics for herself and her son because of her partner’s economic abuse.

When Rebecca left the relationship at the age of 24, her ex-partner and father to her child attacked her so badly that she needed facial reconstruction surgery. He was later jailed for 16 months.

After Rebecca left hospital, she had to rebuild her life from scratch. In 2018, Rebecca joined the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which helps young people turn big ideas into business reality.

Prince Charles interrupted an interview with Laura Whitmore to present her with her award, leaving her speechless as she believed she had been invited to Clarence House for something else entirely.

‘You’ve actually, can you believe this, won the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever of the Year Award from Pride of Britain,’ he told her. ‘It is much deserved, to say the least!’ 

Coronation Street stars Antony Cotton and Jennie McAlpine surprised green-fingered great-grandmother Dena Murphy with the TSB Community Hero gong.

Dena has helped hundreds of young offenders get their lives back on track thanks to her community allotment and was reduced to tears, stating that she hadn’t cried for 30 years. 

David Beckham was up next, stunning a young fan when he presented him with an award.

The former footballer, 45, left Sebastian Williams, 11, and his family stunned as he surprised him at a hotel and presented him with a Pride of Britain Child of Courage Award.

Young Sebastian comforted his injured mother Suzanne and kept her conscious after she fell 100 feet down a ravine near Oban in Scotland. He called a Coastguard helicopter and Mountain Rescue team, saving his mother’s life.

Sebastian turned up at a hotel where he believed he was being interviewed by a journalist, but was left gobsmacked when Becks showed up.

A smiling David said, ‘I have a small surprise for you’ before presenting him with the award. Becks added: ‘I can’t give you a hug to congratulate you but your family would love to.’       

Olly Murs then surprised a brave police officer by presenting her with an award while she was on set at The Voice.

The singer, 36, took to the stage while PC Claire Bond was testing out the judges chairs and began to sing Dear Darlin’, prompting her to press the buzzer.

In September 2018, PC Bond was responding to reports a car had crashed into a garage in Coton Fields, near the route of a 10k race.

Drug dealer Gurajdeep Malhi had smashed into parked cars while fleeing police in a hired BMW. 

PC Bond, a mother of four from Staffordshire, tried to grab his car keys and struggled with Malhi. She was determined to stop his driving, because if he escaped. 

He was heading straight for the route of the race, which was packed with runners. During the struggle she was run over, dragged along the ground and crushed against a fence.

She was eventually pulled to safety but had to undergo a five-hour operation to save her shattered leg.

Malhi fled on foot and was last arrested and jailed for 12 years. A year after the incident, PC Bond took part in the same race to raise money for the charity Care of Police Survivors. 

She covered the first 9km in a wheelchair but walked the final kilometre.

PC Bond had been unable to work for 18 months as she recovered from being run over but refused to let the virus keep her at home any longer and she returned to work on 1st April to the COVID-19 frontline.

It was while she was being given a behind the scenes tour of The Voice that she was surprised by Olly.

The ITV fundraiser award went to Major Chris Brannigan – the doting dad who walked barefoot from Land’s End to Edinburgh, to raise funds for a rare disorder, following his daughter’s diagnosis.

When eight-year-old Hasti was diagnosed with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome – which has no cure or treatment – her father spent 35 days, sleeping each night in the tent he carried on his back, to raise £50,000. In total, he ended up raising more than £500,000.

Halfway through his walk, he was joined by Hasti, as they dropped off a petition at Downing Street, asking for more support for children with rare diseases.

And Hasti was also on hand to present his Pride of Britain trophy when TV presenter Ore Oduba turned up at his army base in Hampshire to surprise him with the news he had won the ITV Fundraiser award. 

He also received a special video message from Taylor Swift.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Sir Ben Helfgott, who has worked tirelessly to help fellow Holocaust survivors and ensure younger generations learn the lessons of the darkest period in human history.

Writer and actor Stephen Fry, whose maternal grandparents were Hungarian Jews who emigrated from Slovakia to Britain, presented Sir Ben’s award.

The other winners from the night were Rhian Mannings and Lord Herman Ouseley, both gaining Special Recognition gongs.

Lord Herman is an inspirational campaigner for equality, who led the fight against racism in sport as head of pioneering anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out.

Rhian lost her son and husband within five days, setting up a groundbreaking charity to help others through their own grief.

The end of the evening saw Paloma Faith sing out the ceremony, with a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World. 

The likes of Holly Willoughby joined host Carol to up the glam stakes on the evening. 

This Morning host Holly looked sensational in a figure-hugging black maxi-dress by luxury womenswear brand Safiyaa. 

The star, who presented an award, took to Instagram to give fans a glimpse at her glamorous outfit ahead of the annual awards ceremony.   

In one snap, she shied away from the camera to show off the gown’s plunging back, brought together by a large bow at the nape of her neck.

Her understated dress was complimented with silver chains running down the back of the straps, adding some glitz to her elegant attire.

Holly, who presented This Morning’s Emergency Services Award, accessorised her glamorous look with earrings from Stephen Webster Jewellery and styled her golden tresses effortlessly swept up in a low-bun.

Alongside the snap, she teased: ‘Tonight on @itv it’s the best awards of them all… @prideofbritain … honoured to be asked to present @thismorning emergency services award… see you at 9pm tonight @itv @dailymirror.’

Elsewhere, Charlotte Hawkins took to Instagram to show off her glam look as she prepared to watch the ceremony at home. 

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 45, looked sensational in an off-white, off-the-shoulder gown by Coast.

The star beamed as she sat on her garden bench with a Union Jack flag and a cup of tea in hand.

Leslie Joseph and Linda Robson meanwhile were in a party mood as they encouraged fans to tune into the ceremony. 

The Birds of a Feather favourites did a little dance in a clip shared to Instagram, with Leslie, 75, upping the glam in a busty little black dress, while Linda, 62, kept things casual in a cosy black co-ord.

Love Island’s Paige Turley was also set for the ceremony, as she took to her stories to share her glam for the night.

The Scottish beauty, 22, stunned as she showed off her smokey eyes and glossy lips, while her blonde tresses were blow dried into bouncy waves.

Elsewhere, Hollyoaks star Alex Fletcher, 44, slipped into a glitzy black number as she prepared to watch at home with a box of tissues and glass of bubbly to hand. 

While Dancing On Ice’s Matt Evers, 44, had his flag and a cup of tea at the ready as he settled in for the night.