Idris Elba and Torvill and Dean receive honours at Windsor Castle
Idris Elba and Torvill and Dean receive honours at Windsor Castle11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSteven McIntoshEntertainment reporterReutersSir Idris, pictured with his wife Sabrina, was knighted...
Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Idris Elba and Torvill and Dean receive honours at Windsor Castle11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSteven McIntoshEntertainment reporterReutersSir Idris, pictured with his wife Sabrina, was knighted for services to young people in recognition of his charity workActor Sir Idris Elba was one of several stars to receive honours from King Charles at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. The 53-year-old, known for US crime series The Wire and police drama Luther, was awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours for services to young people. There was also a knighthood and damehood for Olympic champions Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean, for services to ice skating and to voluntary service.
Actress and comedian Dame Meera Syal, known for The Kumars At No 42 and Goodness Gracious Me, was recognised for services to literature, drama and charity. PA MediaSir Idris is currently working on a Netflix documentary about the King's Trust, which gave him a grant aged 18In 2022, Sir Idris founded the Elba Hope Foundation, which supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy and sustainable development. The actor used a grant from the Prince's Trust – now the King's Trust – to attend the National Youth Music Theatre aged 18.
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It was announced last year that the Luther star will team up with the King to create a documentary marking 50 years since Charles founded the charity, due to air on Netflix this autumn. PA MediaSir Idris is best known for police drama Luther and his role as Stringer Bell in US crime series The WireIce dancers Dame Jayne and Sir Christopher took home the Olympic gold at the 1984 Winter Games for their Bolero performance. The pair later became the faces of ITV celebrity competition show Dancing On Ice.
After finding out about the honour, Dame Jayne, 68, said the timing seemed "perfect" after the two danced on the ice for the final time last year. She said: "We had such a great time, we were so happy with the tour and the fact that we got through it. "It was a big thing for us to mark our career before retirement, and then receiving this award at the end of the year, it's just finished everything.
"Dame Jayne Torvill has also been a celebrity ambassador for a children's hospice in the South East for more than 20 years, while Sir Christopher Dean has served as a head coach and mentor for the British Ice Skating Academy of Dance. PA MediaTorvill and Dean danced together on ice for the final time last yearPA MediaDame Jayne said the timing of the knight and damehood was "perfect" after the pair retired from the iceDame Meera Syal had her breakthrough writing and starring in the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me in the late 1990s, and went on to appear in The Kumars at No. 42 in the early 2000s.
In 2017, the actress was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and in 2023, she was awarded the Bafta Fellowship, the British Academy's highest accolade for a career on screen.
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