Unbelievable, Anne! Jeff Stelling receives MBE from the Princess Royal after ... trends now
Legendary football presenter Jeff Stelling has received an MBE from Princess Anne after he raised £1.7m in the fight against prostate cancer by completing 34 marathon walks.
The 69-year-old, who was the frontman of the hugely popular Sky Sports Gillette Soccer Saturday show from 1994 until 2023, picked up the honour at Buckingham Palace today.
He was received by the Princess Royal who officially made him a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport, broadcasting and charity.
Stelling said: 'I'm doing a job that most people would give an arm and a leg for. So whilst I've had a wonderful and fortunate career, I'm glad that the MBE is in recognition more than anything of the charity work.'
Stelling started his career as a reporter for The Hartlepool Mail and built himself up to become the most iconic football presenter in the UK.
Legendary football presenter Jeff Stelling, who was the frontman of the hugely popular Sky Sports Gillette Soccer Saturday show from 1994 until 2023, picked up the honour at Buckingham Palace today
He was received by the Princess Royal who officially made him a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport, broadcasting and charity
The legendary broadcaster spent almost three decades at the helm of the popular show
He joined Sky Sports in 1992 and built his legend there for over 30 years, most notably hosting the nation's favourite Soccer Saturday for over 25 years.
But in recent years he has been focused on raising money for the fight against prostate cancer and has led 34 marathon walks across the UK with thousands of supporters.
He has raised over £1.7 million for lifesaving research and visited 106 football clubs while walking over 890 miles.
On his iconic Soccer Saturday show, which is watched by millions, he would also wear his Man of Men badge which urges men to know their risk and what they could do about it.
On one of his first football marches to raise money he was introduced to a woman who said she had seen the badge and discovered what it meant.
Stelling said: 'Lo and behold her husband had all the symptoms. He went and got tested, got treatment. She just wanted to say thank you – that just by wearing the badge you have saved my husband's life and he will be OK.
'The cancer was so far advanced that had she not Googled it then, he would have been dead.'
