Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has revealed that she initially believed she was the victim of a prank upon learning she had been named in the King's 2026 Birthday Honours list.
The Bury-born actress, best known for her role as Mandy Dingle on the ITV soap, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to drama and charity. The honours list was announced on Friday, June 12.
Having portrayed the iconic character for over three decades, joining Emmerdale in 1995, Riley noted in her initial statement that she is the first ever cast member of the show to receive an MBE.
On Monday's episode of Loose Women, Riley shared the story of discovering the honour with host Ruth Langsford and fellow panelists Sue Cleaver and Brenda Edwards. She recounted receiving the news in late February after a weekend away with her fiancé, Al Benkovic.
The 49-year-old actress explained: "I opened the post box, and there was a very posh envelope - and when I say posh, I mean posh - and it had my name on it, and it said 'From the King'. I was like, 'No, come on, this is an absolute wind-up.' I thought I was being pranked. And lo and behold, I opened it, and it said, 'For drama and for charity.'"
Riley continued: "I'm very blessed I've been doing a job I love, and in a world where I've been employed - touch wood - all my life, and I'm so grateful for that, and to be honoured."
The actress, who has worked professionally since the age of 14, expressed her overwhelming gratitude for the flood of congratulatory messages she received.
"And also for people that have got in touch with me, that's been the craziest thing this weekend. I've had messages from people, you know, directors that I work with when I was like 21, and they're just genuinely over the moon."
She added: "Like at work, we have a Dingle WhatsApp group, and every single one of the Dingles were like, 'Go on, girl, you're doing it for the family.' And, of course, I'm the first person ever at Emmerdale to have got anything like this. So I'm feeling a bit royal!"
When asked about the investiture ceremony, Riley admitted she doesn't yet know whether it will take place at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, but she is keeping her "fingers crossed" that William, Prince of Wales, will present her with the MBE. She confirmed: "The frock's going to be amazing. I'm going to go colour."
