Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list 2026, making history as the first cast member from the ITV soap to receive the prestigious honour. The actress, best known for her role as Mandy Dingle, is being recognised for her services to drama and charity.
Overwhelmed by the Honour
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Saturday, 13th June, Riley expressed her disbelief and joy. ‘It's unbelievable, it's humbling and it's just amazing. I can't deny, I feel on top of the world and I just feel amazing,’ she said via video link from her Leeds home.
Perfect Timing for a Milestone
The honour comes just weeks before her 50th birthday on 13th July. Riley described it as the ‘best present’ she could have imagined. ‘Four weeks today, the big 50. I keep saying, what better birthday present for my big 50 is to be on the King's birthday list,’ she added.
Charity Work and Personal Loss
Riley's mother, Cath, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012, after battling stage four breast cancer. Since then, the actress has dedicated herself to raising awareness and funds for cancer charities. ‘I'm so proud to be an ambassador for breast cancer now. The reason is I did lose my mum to cancer and I wanted to use my platform to go 'I get it, I understand',' she explained.
She emphasised her commitment to authenticity: ‘In our industry we get asked every single day to be part of a charity but I wanted to be true to myself and be authentic and only work with charities that I feel sing from my own personal hymn sheet.’
Family and Co-Star Support
Riley shared her emotional reaction to the outpouring of support from her Emmerdale family. ‘Yesterday my beloved Dingle family at Emmerdale - we Dingle WhatsApp group and I was able to share it with my work family and they were all gleaming with pride for me and they said it was well deserved after all these years,’ she said.
She added: ‘I don't drink anymore so I will be having my little mug of coffee to toast but it's so nice to have so many people around me. Just seeing the stuff online it's endless, I'm hearing from people I haven't heard from for years.’
A Heartfelt Conclusion
Reflecting on the experience, Riley said: ‘It makes you feel so grateful. My heart feels so warm and that's the celebrated that I'm celebrating. I'm overwhelmed, I really am.’
BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer. Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
