The New Year Honours lists officially include Adam Hills, an Aussie comedian.
Hills, 51, has been made an MBE for his work in disability awareness and Paralympic sport, which has been a prime focus on his TV show The Last Leg.
PA News Agency was contacted by the talk-show host who is a prothetic leg holder. He expressed his shock and delight at receiving the good news.
Honored: Australian comedian Adam Hills will be awarded an MBE in recognition of his efforts in Paralympic and disability awareness
He said, “I’m absolutely thrilled to receive this honour,” I’ve searched for “Australian comedians that have been awarded honours”, and “when is it possible to add MBE after your name?” “Are Australians eligible to receive an MBE?”
After finding out that fellow comedian Barry Humphries had received medals, the presenter quickly found an answer to his query.
Hills added: “Honestly though, for an Australian boy, this is quite the deal.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled to receive this honour”: 51-year old, with a prosthetic leg and wheelchair, said to the PA news agency that he was shocked by the news.
Hills hosted The Last Leg on Channel 4 with Josh Widdicombe, Alex Brooker and since 2012.
Originaly, the show ran every night alongside the London 2012 Paralympics and focussed on the latest events.
Since then, it has included conversations about disability and highlighted Paralympics highlights. Interviews with Paralympians as well as celebrities were featured.
It has covered the London Paralympic Games, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Since 2012, Show: Hills hosted The Last Leg on Channel 4 with Josh Widdicombe & Alex Brooker. It originally ran every night alongside the London 2012 Paralympics and focused only on the latest events.
Hills said, “I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to cover the Paralympics. I’m happy to shout about Paralympic sports at every opportunity.”
According to the TV host, the honor was likened to “eating chocolate” and he will accept it.
Adam said he hasn’t told his family the news yet for “two reasons”, saying that he wasn’t convinced anyone was playing a prank against him.
Jokingly, he explained that the second reason was that he was afraid he would make a joke about royals that leads them to reconsider their mind.
Joker: He compared receiving the award to eating chocolate and said that he would accept it happily.