BBC Presenter Nick Owen Honoured with MBE

Television presenter Nick Owen has been presented with his MBE by the Princess Royal. The BBC Midlands Today presenter was granted this distinction in June, as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List, in recognition of his contributions to charity and broadcasting. Owen, 76, stated after the ceremony at Windsor Castle that he was “absolutely thrilled” and stunned, and expressed being “very grateful” for his broadcasting career, which spans over 50 years. He also conveyed his pleasure and overwhelming feeling that, following his public disclosure last year of a prostate cancer diagnosis, other men were encouraged to get tested. He mentioned that he had “no symptoms at all” when diagnosed, but now reports that his prognosis is “looking very good”. Owen shared his experiences on BBC Midlands Today and BBC Breakfast, noting that the public response had been “absolutely phenomenal”. He said, “Literally thousands of people wrote and got in touch, whether it was males or wives or mothers, saying, ‘You’ve finally persuaded my husband, brother, son to do something about it’, and the response was staggering.” Owen added, “Only last week, I met someone, it was very humbling, they said I saved his life because he went and had a PSA [Prostate Specific Antigen test] because of what I said on television and turned out he’d got it and he’s had an operation.” Owen has hosted various programmes, including his collaboration with fellow journalist Anne Diamond on Good Morning with Anne and Nick in the 1990s. He expressed his good fortune at still being able to do the job he loves. Owen remarked, “You get to interview so many people – I think I’ve interviewed seven or eight prime ministers now, as well as top showbiz stars from around the world and sports stars and so on.” He further stated, “I’m just grateful for so many different aspects of my life, the great variety, the opportunities and the people I’ve met and the events I’ve been to.” Hundreds of congratulatory messages were posted on social media when Owen’s MBE award was announced. He has also dedicated three decades to working with charities such as the Edward’s Trust, Baby Lifeline, and Prostate Cancer UK.