Tom Daley, Joanna Lumley, and Mel B Make Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours List

Tom Daley, Joanna Lumley, and Mel B Make Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours List
Image: Tom Daley, Mel B and The Spice Girls, Joanna Lumley

The Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours List has been revealed, and it includes LGBTQI icons such as gay Olympian diver Tom Daley, Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley, and the Spice Girls’ very own Mel B.

‘You Can Achieve Anything’

Daley will receive an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to diving, LGBTQI rights, and charity.

The 27-year-old from Plymouth won bronze medals at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, after winning his first gold medal, he said, “I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone.”

“You can achieve anything. When I was younger, I didn’t think I’d ever achieve anything because of who I was. To be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything.”

‘Most Beautiful Present Imaginable’

Lumley will be made a dame for her services to drama, entertainment, and charity. She received an OBE in 1995.

The 75-year-old actress said she’s “astonished and thrilled and touched beyond words to receive this colossal honour. It comes as a complete and unexpected surprise and is the kindest and most beautiful present imaginable.”

She has supported both humanitarian and environmental campaigns.

A Tireless Campaigner for Woman

Spice Girls’ singer, Melanie Brown, better known as Mel B, will be awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her work with Women’s Aid, a charity that helps women who are victims of domestic violence.

The 46-year-old, according to The Daily Mail, has spoken about her experience of abuse and has continually campaigned for change. She even took her message to Downing Street back in 2019.

She portrayed a character who was a victim of violence, in the 2021 music video, Love Should Not Hurt, for a Women’s Aid campaign.

The pop singer said she felt “so emotional” when she opened the letter to discover she would receive an MBE.

She told The Sun: “I thought about all the women I’ve met over the past few years who have been through terrible situations, women who have died, women who are still suffering. This, for me, was all about them. It still is.”

Mel B

Sir Elton John’s longtime songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, will also be awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to music, including the lyrics of John’s 1973 ballad Candle in the Wind, written in memory of the late Princess Diana who died in a car crash in 1997.

The Queen’s New Year Honours have been awarded since the reign of Queen Victoria to recognise outstanding contributions to the nation. They are approved by the Prime Minister.

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One response to “Tom Daley, Joanna Lumley, and Mel B Make Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours List”

  1. Mel B is such a wonderful ambassador for the rights of all women. I have a wife and two daughters and it is good to know that they have someone like Mel B in their corner. The sooner the cowardly perpetrators of these hideous attacks are exposed, apprehended and jailed for life,the sooner woman everywhere will feel free to walk the streets safely. Congratulations Mel. Well done.