talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling picked up his MBE and admitted he could never have dreamed of receiving such a prestigious honour.
Stelling received his MBE for services to sport, broadcasting and charity at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
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He has enjoyed a decades long career in sports broadcasting, hosting Soccer Saturday for 25 years until stepping down last year.
Stelling has since taken over from Laura Woods as host of talkSPORT Breakfast on Monday and Tuesday.
The 69-year-old admitted something like this was beyond anything he could imagine as a child growing up on a council estate.
He said: "I remember growing up on a council estate in Hartlepool and, you know, your main aspiration was actually to get a job to earn a living, because unemployment was so rife.
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"You wouldn't dream of anything like this - it is literally, it's a cliche, beyond your wildest dreams."
The 69-year-old broadcaster is also an ambassador to Cancer Research UK and said de-stigmatising the disease was the 'raison d'etre' of his charity work.
"With men, in particular, we all think we're big and butch and strong," he added.
"We don't go to the doctors - and certainly not if it's anything to do with something below the waist.
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"So to try and change people's view of that means a lot."
Stelling has had plenty of highlights over his career, but he admitted the best would 'probably be hosting the Champions League final for the first time at Wembley'.
"But I've been fortunate," he added.
"I wasn't a sportsman, I didn't play sports, yet I've spent my life mingling with top sportsmen and a lot of them became close personal friends.
"Again, that's something I could have never dreamt of."
You can hear Jeff Stelling MBE on talkSPORT Breakfast on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6am.
