Clare Balding says she ‘talked gibberish’ whilst accepting OBE for services to journalism
Sports broadcaster Clare Balding was awarded an OBE yesterday, and said she “talked absolute gibberish”, when accepting the award.
Ms Balding, 42, was awarded the OBE for services to broadcasting and journalism yesterday by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.
She was joined by her civil partner, former BBC broadcaster Alice Arnold.
Following the ceremony, she tweeted a picture of the award, and noted her nerves when she accepted the awards. She said: “The ceremony went by in a flash. I didn’t fall over but it wasn’t the cleanest curtesy (sic). I talked absolute gibberish.”
The ceremony went by in a flash. I didn’t fall over but it wasn’t the cleanest curtesy. I talked absolute gibberish pic.twitter.com/zQ0GQWzKQ4
— Clare Balding (@clarebalding) October 3, 2013
The award was given in recognition of Ms Balding’s contribution to the team covering the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The broadcaster was in July honoured as the winner of this year’s Celebrity Charity Champion Award.
It was announced in June that she would be awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, just a few weeks after she collected a special BAFTA award to recognise her on-screen contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic games.
Ms Balding’s civil partner, former BBC Radio 4 newsreader Alice Arnold recently said“Britain’s homophobia needs to be tackled before we turn to Russia’s.”
The journalist and writer commented on revelations that scores of schools in England and Wales had polices in place targeting the “promotion” of homosexuality, in language reminiscent of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.
