our weekly newsletter <\/a>for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. <\/p>\nBurrow died in 2024 after living with MND for more than four years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am deeply honoured and grateful to receive this award on behalf of the rugby and MND communities,\u201d Sinfield said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I first played rugby when I was seven, rugby league has given me so much. I am particularly proud to follow in the footsteps of the great Sir Billy Boston with rugby league\u2019s second-ever knighthood in over 130 years of the sport. <\/p>\n
“Sir Billy overcame so much in his life and is still loved by the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rugby League player Rob Burrow died in 2024 Credit: PA<\/p>\n
Sinfield is taking on his seventh and final endurance challenge \u2013 all of which have been based around the number seven as it was the number Burrow wore in his playing days \u2013 in September.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Burrow, widow of Rob Burrow, said: \u201cOn behalf of the whole Burrow family, I would like to congratulate Kevin on his knighthood. We are all delighted for him and I cannot think of a more deserving recipient.<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin did so much for Rob but also the whole MND community with raising awareness and funds to support families and aid research. <\/p>\n
I know he has said he is dedicated to supporting the MND community for however long it takes to find a cure, and that means so much to so many people to have a champion like Kevin in their corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Rob used to say, everyone should have a friend like Kevin and so many people will be pleased to see him get this recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dame Helen Mirren was recognised in the honours list Credit: PA<\/p>\n
Actor Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the Queen in 2006, was also made a Companion of Honour for services to drama.<\/p>\n
There are only 65 Companions of Honour at any one time.<\/p>\n
Nearly 1,200 people from across the UK received honours in the latest list.<\/p>\n
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi became an MBE for his services to music and charity, and Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley received the same honour for her services to drama and her charity work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE. It\u2019s been a privilege doing something I love and then to see that music connects with so many over the years,” said Iommi. <\/p>\n
Riley, who turns 50 in July, said: \u201cWow, if this is not my best 50th birthday present, being awarded an MBE in the King\u2019s Birthday Honours list, I don\u2019t know what is. To say I am humbled is an absolute understatement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you so much, my heart is the warmest it could ever be.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Sproxton and Peter Lord, the co-founders of the Academy Award-winning animation studio behind beloved characters such as Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, were both knighted for their services to the creative industries and to charity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both feel it is an extraordinary privilege and an honour \u2013 as well as a complete and utter surprise \u2013 to be recognised in this way,\u201d the duo said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we accept these awards, we humbly bow and salute all of those who have joined us on this extraordinary journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Author Malorie Blackman, pictured with the Queen, received a damehood Credit: PA<\/p>\n
The Gruffalo writer Julia Donaldson and Noughts and Crosses author Malorie Blackman both received damehoods for their services to literature.<\/p>\n
Dame Julia was the UK\u2019s best-selling author last year, overtaking Harry Potter creator JK Rowling amid the Gruffalo\u2019s continued popularity and the success of more recent characters like Zog the dragon.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cReceiving this honour has been a very happy surprise. It\u2019s really gratifying to have children\u2019s books recognised in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beauty entrepreneur and make-up artist to the stars, Charlotte Tilbury, was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).<\/p>\n
The oldest recipient was 101-year-old Pauline Hough, who received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to theatre and to the community in Nantwich, Cheshire.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: \u201cAcross the UK, people are quietly changing lives and strengthening their communities. This Honours List is a chance to recognise them. <\/p>\n
Their dedication shows how lasting change is built \u2013 through compassion, resilience and a commitment to others.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt speaks to the decent, hopeful country we are proud to be, and on behalf of the whole nation, I want to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Westminster to Washington DC – our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below…<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Six of the Lionesses, rugby league great Kevin Sinfield and actress Dame Helen Mirren have all featured in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636551,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-636550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}