Jennifer Saunders reveals she turned down an OBE because it 'didn't feel right'

Jennifer Saunders has revealed the touching reason why she turned down an OBE from The Queen in 2001.

The Absolutely Fabulous star, 62, declined the offer alongside her comedy partner Dawn French because it 'didn't feel right' after her own father Robert received a CBE for his work as a Royal Air Force pilot.

Jennifer explained she felt accepting the Queen's offer 'made a mockery' of being given such a prestigious honour and felt there were others in the world who deserved it more.

Speaking to Best Magazine, Jennifer explained her father was given the honour for his tireless work in the Royal Air Force.

She explained: 'My father, Robert, was a pilot in the Royal Air Force and was awarded a CBE,' she explained.

'He got it and he deserved it. He worked really hard and he was a brilliant man and he did an awful lot. But we just jumped up on stage, messed about, and made money.'

Jennifer added: 'We thought, ''there's a lot of people who deserve these things'' and for us to get it sort of made it a mockery. There are people who work for the NHS or do great charity work and we hadn't really done anything. It was silly.'

Back in 2011 Jennifer further explained why both she and Dawn declined their offers to receive OBEs for 'for services to comedy drama.'

She told The Guardian: 'We felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didn't seem right somehow. We didn't deserve a pat on the back.

'It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes.'

It comes after Jennifer admitted that her iconic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous would never be commissioned today, because

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