'Unbelievable' Jeff Stelling is toast of Hartlepool as he receives MBE in New Year Honours List

Former Hartlepool Mail journalist Mr Stelling – who still writes a column for the Mail – is best known as the highly animated presenter of Sky's Soccer Saturday programme, which he anchored for 25 years until stepping down at the end of last season, and for lending his first name to colleague Chris Kamara's often-used phrase "Unbelievable Jeff".

But it is his role as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, where he has walked 34 marathons and been the spearhead for raising more than £1.7million since 2016, which he takes most pride in and which he has now received recognition for in the New Year Honours List.

"I am very proud to have had the opportunity to do it," he said.

"It's been great to help raise awareness, but the fundraising has been done by the hundreds and hundreds of people who come and walk with me. All I do is put one foot in front of the next one and lend my name to the marches.

"People think they're going to be pretty miserable affairs but they're not, they're a celebration of life. Every day doing it is a day of joy.

"I'm doing a job that most people would give an arm and a leg for. So whilst I've had a wonderful and fortunate career, I'm glad that the MBE is in recognition more than anything of the charity work."

The charity's chief executive Laura Kerby said: "We're thrilled that the 'unbelievable' Jeff Stelling has been honoured. For nearly a decade, Jeff has been an incredible ambassador to Prostate Cancer UK, helping us raise crucial awareness of the disease throughout the footballing community.”

Mr Stelling, 68, himself recalled one such encounter where simply wearing the charity badge saved a life while walking from Hartlepool to Wembley in 2016.

He was introduced to a woman who said she had seen Stelling wearing the badge, discovered what it represented and then read on to find out the symptoms of prostate cancer.

"Lo and behold her husband had all the symptoms. He went and got tested, got treatment," Stelling said.

"She just wanted to say thank you - that just by wearing the badge you have saved my husband's life and he will be OK.

"The cancer was so far advanced that had she not Googled it then, he would have been dead. Over the years since then, it's a story I have had repeated to me time and time again."