The 2026 Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards honoured 13 people, with viewers on ITV left in tears as the winners were celebrated on stage.
The awards, held annually since 1999, celebrate ordinary people who have "acted with extraordinary bravery, selflessness, or public spirit." Organised in partnership with the Daily Mirror and P&O Cruises, the event recognised 13 individuals after the public submitted tens of thousands of nominations.
Outstanding Bravery and Special Recognition
Andrew Franks from Manchester received the Outstanding Bravery award after tackling knife-wielding terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie during an attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue last year. His actions bought vital time for the congregation to barricade themselves behind the doors.
Ellen Roome MBE, Esther Ghey, and Ian Russell MBE received the Special Recognition Award. Ian Russell's daughter Molly died in November 2017 from an act of self-harm, with the inquest finding that "unsafe" algorithmic social media content related to depression, self-harm and suicide had played a role in her death.
Ellen Roome's son Julian 'Jools' Sweeney was 14 when he died in April 2022, having been found unresponsive in his bedroom. She has spent the last four years trying to find out why her son died, making it her mission to fight for answers from technology companies as the family does not have access to her son's social media platforms.
Esther Ghey's daughter Brianna Ghey was murdered in February 2023 at the age of 16, stabbed 28 times in a premeditated attack by teenagers who had consumed extreme online violence.
Child of Courage and Local Hero
Zac Howells won the Child of Courage award. He was 12 years old when his mum Nicola Crump suddenly passed out while driving them at 60mph on a dual carriageway. With her foot pressed on the accelerator, Zac steered the car to safety, bumping it into the central reservation to slow it down, preventing a potentially devastating high-speed crash.
World-leading cardiac surgeon Asif Hasan was handed the Lifetime Achievement award. He has shaped the face of lifesaving paediatric heart surgery and transplantation in the UK and has performed around 400 transplants across the course of his career.
Stockport's Florence Coke was named the This Morning Local Hero. Known for her much-loved Caribbean takeaway restaurant, over the years she has fed pensioners for free over Christmas, helped families through the cost-of-living crisis by offering free lunches to children in the summer holidays, and provided free meals during the pandemic.
Viewer Reactions and Full Winners List
Those watching at home on ITV struggled to hold back the tears as the incredible winners received their awards on stage. Writing on X, @rossy91h said: "Watching #PrideOfBritain restores your faith that there is some incredible but humble people in the world, genuinely makes you put life into perspective. But I promise im not crying, you are."
@ibboryan said: "Pride of Britain shows that while the world can be cruel, it also shows there are some truly brilliant human beings around. It never fails to put a smile on my face just knowing there are still plenty of good folk about."
While @alison_mannion said: "Pride of Britain. Restores your faith in humanity. There are still the most wonderful people out there. We should be praising them all." And singling out Asif Hasan, @Patr1ckMcCann wrote: "Mr. Asif Hasan. An incredible human being. I have met him once. He was due to be my transplant surgeon, until he retired. Thankfully I am stable. Mr. Hasan is an absolute superhero and has saved many lives over the years."
Hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo, the awards took place on Monday, October 19, and aired on TV on Thursday.
Full list of Pride of Britain 2026 winners: Andrew Franks - Outstanding Bravery; Asif Hasan - Lifetime Achievement; Brandon Hulcoop - King's Trust Young Achiever; Dr Eleanor Prior - Special Recognition; Elaine Oakey - P&O Cruises Inspiration Award; Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler - Special Recognition; Ellen Roome MBE, Esther Ghey and Ian Russell MBE - Special Recognition; Florence Coke - This Morning Local Hero; Gregor Corse - Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year; Kirsty Waugh - Child of Courage; Zac Howells - Child of Courage.
