The annual Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards left viewers in floods of tears after one winner shared their emotional story and called out the bullies that threatened his life
21:13, 23 Oct 2025Updated 21:13, 23 Oct 2025
Teenager of Courage winner Zach Eagling(Image: Rowan Griffiths)
The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards viewers were once again moved to tears on an emotional night. Scenes, which aired Wednesday, showcased the nation’s incredible stories of strength, bravery and courage from incredible people up and down the country.
And it was teenager Zach Eagling that left viewers pouring their heart out online – and hitting out at those who targeted him online. The 13-year-old was successful in launching a campaign that changed the law to protect people with epilepsy.
In his VT before taking to the stage to receive the Teenager of Courage award, Zach and his mum explained how his online journey reaching milestones was met with hatred. Some users on social media would send him flashing images, which could potentially trigger a seizure.
However, instead of shying away from the content, Zach was determined to make a change and had a law passed making it a criminal offence for people to send such vile content.
He said: “I am so proud, I don’t know how I’ve managed it but I have. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this.”
And after being handed the award by Strictly judges, Shirley Ballas said: “On behalf of everyone in Strictly, for you to be able to change a law that makes you rather extraordinary gentleman and we are extremely proud of you”
And fans online also shared there thoughts. One user on Twitter/X fumed: “genuinely what the f*** is wrong with people you’d send a little boy with epilepsy spending his time fundraising, flashing gifs trying to trigger his brain. like it absolutely baffles me there’s people like that out here #prideofbritain.”
Another agreed, saying: “#prideofbritain This a new low in terms of online bullying. How it actually enters someone’s head to do that leaves me speechless and very sad. Well done Zach Eagling. You’ve created good from their evil. They’re not fit to lick your shoes.”
A third added: “What an inspiration #Zach has proven to be – a force of nature with an `unbeatable’ attitude! #PrideofBritain.” And a fourth wrote: “Zach you are a legend! #prideofbritain”
All winners were nominated by the public, with the recipients being ordinary people of all ages and backgrounds. They were honoured for actions that were deemed extraordinary and inspiring.
The awards celebrated achievements such as overcoming adversity, performing extraordinary acts of kindness, and displaying immense courage.
The Prime Minister was in the audience at the ceremony, that is sponsored by P&O Cruises. The event, which took place on Monday night, saw Keir Starmer joined by his wife Victoria.
Speaking of the stories, the PM said: “I always arrive thinking of this problem, that problem, like the world is on my shoulders. But the moment I hear the first story, I think, ‘give your head a wobble’.
“You’re doing amazing things here. Loads of people sitting in their living rooms may well say, ‘if they can do that, maybe I can do that.'”
He also said: “People say, ‘oh Britain’s broken, people don’t care about each other’. But it’s the complete opposite: if given the chance, almost everybody will try to do something for somebody else. Just look around you.”
And when Marcus Skeet, the record-breaking charity runner and mental health champion received his Special Recognition Award, he got an extra surprise. After handing Marcus his trophy, pop star Anne-Marie, and podcast duo Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson revealed Pride of Britain had launched a special GoFundMe for mental health charity Mind in Marcus’s honour.
Money raised will pay for special mental health walking and running groups all over the country called Marcus’s Movers. The groups, which include mental health practitioners, cost £2,500 to set up.
Sam and Pete kicked things off with a £5,000 donation on stage, and then Pub Landlord Al Murray took to the floor to persuade some other famous faces to chip in too.
Dragons Den tycoon Duncan Bannatyne donated £20,000, bringing the total raised on the night to £50,000, enough to fund 20 potentially lifesaving Marcus’s Movers groups. A stunned Marcus told Ashley Banjo: “From the bottom of my heart, that means the absolute world. I’m lost for words.”
Now you can help by donating to the GoFundMe to help Mind set up even more Marcus’s Movers groups in communities all over Britain. The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises celebrate unsung heroes like Marcus. His own life was transformed by walking and running – the teenager went from the lowest possible ebb to becoming a record-breaking charity fundraiser and Pride of Britain winner.
He was 12 when his dad was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Marcus’s physical and mental health rapidly declined and he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and intrusive thoughts which dramatically impacted his life.
At 15 he was in “one of the darkest places”, and attempted suicide after spending months alone in his room with no contact with the outside world. Desperate to turn his life around, Marcus, now 17, started walking short distances at first, before building up distance and speed until he was jogging longer routes. He says: “My mental health was at an all time low so I decided to run, not just for mental health but to raise awareness. Running pushed my body and mind and the feeling after a run was like nothing else.”
Since then, Marcus has raised more than £200,000 for Mind through running, including a run from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The gruelling 874 mile challenge saw him become the youngest person ever – and the first under 18 – to run the entire length of the UK.
Marcus has documented his journey on social media in the hopes of inspiring others who are struggling with their mental health. He says: “Life is brutal, sometimes you feel like you’re in a place you can’t get out of. But I promise you, every road may have speed bumps but you’ll get over them. Mental health is such a big thing, everyone is different but I find running helps mine.”
The winners moved celebrities, politicians and stars to tears with their stories of courage, bravery and brilliance at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards
21:50, 20 Oct 2025Updated 21:51, 20 Oct 2025
It has been celebrating the very best of everything British for more than quarter of a century. And once again it was the children of courage and incredible stories of bravery in adversity which moved a host of celebrities, actors and sport stars to tears at the 26th Daily Mirror Pride of Britain awards, with P&O Cruises.
The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was there with his wife Victoria to pay tribute to the long line of unsung heroes as they received the recognition they so richly deserve. At just 12 years old, Luke Mortimer typified what the night is all about when he received his Child of Courage trophy.
Luke had all his limbs amputated after contracting meningococcal meningitis septicaemia in 2019. Yet still he thought of others. The audience at the Grosvenor House Hotel gave him a huge round of applause as they heard how he had donated thousands for children with disabilities, through his extraordinary fundraising activities.
In 2024, he climbed Pen-y-ghent with his mum Christine and brother Harry, 15, meeting his dad Adam and a team of 19 who were climbing the National Three Peaks and Yorkshire Three Peaks. They raised almost £20,000 to help fund prosthetics for Luke and help other child amputees. He told his loved ones that we should all “concentrate on the future” as he set about helping others.
His favourite TV stars Ant and Dec sent a special message to Luke, who told host Carol Vorderman of his motto when life was tough: “Hope for a good time and try and make it happen.”
His dad Adam added: “We are massively proud of him, he takes everything in his slightly smaller stride.”
Marcus Skeet, 17, became the first person in the UK to run from Land’s End to John O’Groats as he fought back from a suicide attempt at the age of 15. He had obsessive compulsive disorder, and became a carer for his dad, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia.
Marcus admitted: “It shattered my heart.” After his suicide attempt, it was a ‘miracle’ that he had survived. Known as ‘the Hull Man’, with 350,000 followers on social media, he watched cars go by as he got caught in a rainstorm, with 790 miles to go in his epic run.
Marooned in a layby, soaked through, he still became a record breaker, raising £164,560 for mental health charity Mind, with his dad there to see him at the end. “I will remember that for the rest of my life,” said Marcus.
His incredible feat took a combination of supreme dedication and endurance and he joked: “I hate running.” Dr. Sarah Hughes, CEO at Mind paid tribute, saying: “His story reads like a film script, courage, loss, hope, and relentless determination.
“But Marcus isn’t a character; he’s a real-life hero.” Pub landlord comedian Al Murray revealed he had been inspired by Marcus to raise money for Mind. Looking for donors in the audience, he said: “Whether you are an actor or a rock star, you cannot fail to be moved by this night.”
Personal trainer Javeno McLean, 40, met his heroes as his work for the disabled, ill and elderly was recognised with the P&O Cruises Inspiration award.
Former world champion heavyweight David Haye joined legends of the ring Frank Bruno and Barry McGuigan to hand over the coveted trophy. They heard how Javeno has been offering free fitness sessions to the needy at his J7 Gym in Manchester.
At 16, he offered to train a boy in a wheelchair who was struggling in the gym. Since then, Javeno has been devoted to creating a friendly and inclusive gym space for all. He told the judges: “When you include people you empower them.”
Haye said it was an ‘honour’ to be chosen to give him the award. On a night of awe-inspiring stories, PCs Yasmin Whitfield, Cameron King and Inspector Moloy Campbell were recognised for their extraordinary bravery.
They answered an emergency call on an ‘ordinary’ working day which almost turned out to be their last. By the time they confronted sword attacker Marcus Arduini Monzo in Hainault, East London on April 20,2024, he had already killed Daniel Anjorin, 14.
Despite having no Taser or pepper spray, Pc King drew his baton and stood between the killer and Yasmin, who suffered horrific slash injuries.
Insp Campbell also suffered a slash wound to his hand after he confronted Monzo in a car park and ran at him, baton drawn. Other officers were able to deploy their Tasers and subdue the killer. PC King ‘stood between Yas and Monzo’, who ran off, before being cornered by cops. He said: “I remember just thinking, I can’t let him finish her off’. I put myself between Yas and him. I thought ‘we’re going to die in this alleyway.'” Insp Campbell admitted: “When I challenged Mr Monzo, I knew it may be the last decision I would ever make.” Monzo was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years. In 2016, footy coach Asha Ali Rage 46, set up her community club, determined to use sport to protect youngsters from gangs. The aptly named Dream Chasers FC in Small Heath, Birmingham has since become a vital hub for her local community.
Asha received her award from England’s ‘Golden Gloves’ World Cup keeper Mary Earps who has done so much to raise the profile of sport for women; Asha’s Special Recognition Award was for “changing the lives” of the young stars of the future. Leanne Pero MBE, 30, won another recognition award for The Movement Factory community dance company which she founded when she was just 15. Londoner Leanne, who survived breast cancer, also started Black Women Rising, a cancer support group that has raised more than £1m to fund support and advice. She said of surviving cancer: “The worst part was finishing treatment.” Teenager of Courage winner Eagling Zach, 14, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, also donated to the Epilepsy Society by walking laps of his garden in the 2020 lockdown. After trolls bombarded him with flashing images to try to trigger a seizure, he campaigned for legislation to protect people with epilepsy online. Zach’s Law was introduced across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in Sept., 2023, making it a criminal offence, with a maximum five-year jail term, to troll anyone with epilepsy to deliberately cause a seizure. Zach has now launched a petition to ‘make a difference’ and try to ensure public transport is more accessible for disabled people. For Sally Becker, 63, helping those most in need in society has been her life’s work.
She first went to Bosnia in 1993 to help the victims of war. Tasked with taking aid to a hospital, she found herself evacuating sick and injured children in an old Bedford van.
She has now spent more than three decades helping children in besieged areas, such as Gaza, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
In 2016, she founded Save a Child, providing medical treatment for kids in conflict areas. And she launched a mobile tele-medicine programme connecting local doctors with paediatric specialists. She said: “We have saved thousands of children.”
Georgie Hyslop, 15, was thrilled to be made the Good Morning Britain Fundraiser of the year. In 2023, when Georgie, then 15, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer in the bones, she donated her tissue to Cancer Research. She raised more than £55,000 for hospitals and charities.
Through 14 rounds of chemo and 33 of radiation, Georgie gave cards with encouraging messages, known as “pocket hugs”, to fellow patients, and dressed up as Spider-Man to cheer up a four-year-old patient having radiotherapy.
Georgie, 17, from Ardrossan, Ayrshire, went into remission in July 2024, but the cancer returned earlier this year. She said: “I have lots of fundraising planned and lots to look forward to.”
Set up by three music teachers at an additional needs school in 1995, the Ups & Downs theatre group in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, is for young people with Down’s syndrome as well as their families.
Now led by Lorna Leggatt, whose son Ellis, 26, has been a member since he was five, Ups & Downs offers inclusive activities, including music, dance and drama, to around 70 members, who have Down’s syndrome or a sibling with the condition. Audiences leave their shows ‘deeply moved’.
Fellow PoB winner Harry Byrne lost his mother on Christmas Day; her death caused Harry, then 11, to descend into mental health problems, addiction and homelessness. Harry, 24, was helped by local homelessness charity St Basil’s and discovered The King’s Trust Get Started in Outdoor Leadership programme, landing a job in Coventry.
Now supporting young people facing difficulties, through outdoor activities, he hopes to run his own therapy-based coaching service. Harry said: “I didn’t have many role models or access to the support I needed when I was younger. I’m passionate about getting up every morning and providing just that for the next generation.”
RAF hero John Nichol, 61, the navigator from North Shields, North Tyneside who was shot down and captured in Iraq during the first gulf war of 1990, has attended every single one of the Pride of Britain’s 26 award nights. A good friend of the late awards founder Peter Willis, he said: “I was next to Gary Barlow on that first night and had to give him my hankie. I think there is only me and Carol Vorderman who have been to every one.
“Nobody knew what to expect, but it has become the best of the lot.”
Pictures: Rowan Griffiths, Adam Gerrard, Andy Stenning.
* Watch the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises on Thursday October 23 at 8pm on ITV1.
CELEBRITIES have stepped out in their finery for tonight’s Pride of Britain Awards.
Looking sensational while hitting the red carpet, the likes of GK Barry, Amy Dowden and Helen Flanagan, Maura Higgins, Tasha Ghouri and many others have posed up a storm ahead of the emotional night.
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Helen Flanagan stepped out in a stunning gown for the emotional eveningCredit: PAHelen’s gown was show-stopping and trailed behind her as she posed ahead of the eventCredit: AlamyMaura Higgins left little to the imagination in a sheer lace number at the Pride of Britain AwardsCredit: GettyEkin-Su Cülcüloğlu wore a daring ensembleCredit: Getty
The Pride of Britain Awards is an annual event that honours unsung heroes from up and down the United Kingdom.
The awards celebrate individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, bravery, and achievement.
They are awarded to those who have overcome adversity or made a significant difference in their communities.
Stepping out on Monday night for the event, many famous faces gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Helen Flanagan left onlookers stunned as she wowed in a black and white ensemble.
The very chic gown she donned was black with white edging and accents.
Sailing down to the ground, the sleek fitted dress was adorned in sparkling diamantes that glimmered beneath the lights.
Helen wore her blonde locks in an up-do and posed up a storm with her hand on her hip.
The dress had an ample amount of drama to it, and sailed down to the ground, trailing behind her.
Love Island and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! beauty Maura Higgins stole the night in a completely sheer lace number.
Another Love Island alum, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu dared all in a very risque ensemble.
The stunning star wore a cut out black frock, which bared her hips and midriff.
She looked sensational in the corseted black gown, which was see-through and left little to the imagination.
Though the dress was made from lace and incredibly fitted, Maura’s frock boasted of a huge billowing train which jolted out from her bottom.
Maura posed up a storm and looked so confident in the processCredit: GettyEkin-Su looked like a total stunner as she sizzled on the red carpetCredit: GettyGK Barry turned heads as she attended the Pride of Britain Awards red carpet on Monday nightCredit: PAShe wore a black lace gown that sailed down to the groundCredit: PAAmy Dowden was seen arriving at the awards in a deep purple gownCredit: PAThe dress was ultra sleek and was straplessCredit: Alamy
GK Barry was one of the first arrivals of the night, and turned heads in a sexy black lace gown.
The lace dress featured a high neck and sailed all the way down to the ground.
GK, whose name is Grace, wore her blonde locks in a sleek up-do.
Stepping out in a strapless powder blue dress, Tasha looked amazing as she showed off her leg thanks to the thigh high split.
The dress had a drop waist and was ruched to one side, with the thigh high split showing off Tasha’s endless pins as the dress trailed behind her.
Tasha attended the event in a powder blue frockCredit: AlamyTasha wowed as she posed at the eventCredit: PAJoey Essex looked suave as he stepped out at the eventCredit: PAFreddy Brazier and his pregnant ex-girlfriend were in attendanceCredit: Alamy
The Only Way Is Essex hunk Joey Essex also attended the star-studded evening.
He rocked a black suit with a white shirt, and looked ultra suave in the process.
Freddy Brazier and his pregnant ex-girlfriend looked content as they cosied up to one another on the red carpet.
He wore all green, while she opted for a lemon figure-hugging gown that displayed her bump.
Carol Vorderman wore a skinky black gown for the eventCredit: AlamyMontana Brown wore a burgundy dress on Monday nightCredit: PALaura Kenny followed suit in a wine numberCredit: Alamy
Standing on the red carpet the former Countdown siren smiled sweetly as she showed off her slender curves in the understated frock.
Montana Brown channelled her inner autumn goddess as she wore a burgundy frock on the red carpet.
Looking amazing as she posed outside of the event, the former Love Island starlet held a black clutch bag as she rocked a neutral makeup look on Monday night.
Laura Kenny followed Montana’s lead in a wine-coloured frock.
The former professionaltrackandroadcyclist who specialised in track endurance events, showed off her toned pins as she posed on the red carpet.
EastEnders star Louisa Lytton made a statement in a fitted black dress, featuring a sweetheart neckline and red statement sleeves.
The stunning brunette completed the look with a red lip as she beamed on the red carpet.
Louisa Lytton attended the Pride of Britain Awards on Monday in a black and red statement gownCredit: PALove Island’s Faye Winter wore a powdery lilac gown for the occasionCredit: Getty
Love Island’s Faye Winter wore a powdery lilac gown for the occasion.
The silk frock had a structured mid section, a lace upper, no straps and a mini train.
She wore her blonde locks down and in a wavy style, with her makeup kept glowy and bronzed.
Liberty Poole, also from Love Island, left little to the imagination in a plunging silver gown.
Showing off her cleavage, Liberty looked stunning as she wore the revealing dress with cutout sections.
Yet another Love Island alum, Gabby Allen, rocked a dazzling frock.
Showing off her slender figure, Gabby stunned onlookers as she pouted while donning a dark purple lipstick.
Liberty Poole sizzled on the red carpetCredit: GettyGabby Allen also turned headsCredit: GettyRecent Love Island stars Yasmin Pettet, Toni Laites and Shakira Khan attended as a trioCredit: Shutterstock EditorialEmily Andre, Junior Andre, Princess Andre and Peter Andre attended the glitzy eventCredit: Getty
Emily Andre, Junior Andre, Princess Andre and Peter Andre attended the glitzy event.
Posing for a family snap on the red carpet, the foursome looked ultra glamorous and suave as she beamed for the cameras.
