00:00Thank you so much for your time.
00:01It's my pleasure.
00:02Welcome to the Pride Britain Awards 2021.
00:04I don't know if you've been here before but-
00:06Many times.
00:07There you go, are you looking forward to the night of being inspired, perhaps shedding
00:10a few tears?
00:11I am, and I am absolutely gutted to say that I forgot to put on waterproof mascara.
00:20It's good that we're talking to you on the way in as opposed to the way out then I guess.
00:24Absolutely, I will be a mess on the way out.
00:27However, it's not about what I look like, it's about those wonderful people who we're
00:31going to celebrate and honour tonight and 25 years of this is just, it's tantamount
00:37to the brilliant people that exist all around us in this great nation of ours that we've
00:44got 25 years and probably another 25 to go so it's fabulous.
00:48I love being here.
00:49It's a night where we get inspired with the stories of the UK public but who inspired
00:54you this year?
00:55Oh my god, there's so many glorious people.
01:00I will say Dawn Butler, why would I say Dawn Butler, probably a surprise to you.
01:07She has been resilient in the face of some pretty shocking abuse on social media and
01:15she stayed, she's obviously spoken up for herself but as the kids say, she's kept it
01:23movie, she's kept it classy and I really admire her because I don't think I could.
01:28I kind of have to just log out, check out, you know, but she has the public persona and
01:34really manages to manage a lot of that stuff with grace and that's inspiring.
01:41I apologise for changing the tone slightly but as a legend of the music industry, I'd
01:45like your take on the recent news about Liam Payne and there's obviously been a big reaction
01:50amongst his fans, a big vigil held for him in Hyde Park recently but is there anything
01:55to say about that event and the state of the music industry at the moment?
02:02Liam was a Wolverhamptoner so I kept an eye on what he was doing and to see a lad so young
02:12with so much going for him to the outside world and to see where the other side of fame
02:21took him has broken my heart.
02:28We need more care for young people in the music industry.
02:32He was initially 14, 15 when he started, the 1D lads were babies and, you know, as minors
02:41there should be so much more care, so much more attention.
02:47In theatre there are chaperones for kids until they reach the age of 18.
02:53We should have the same in music.
02:56Kids need to be protected.
02:58They cannot just be a means of, you know, making money or generating money.
03:07They cannot, they have to be protected.
03:09Their mental health has to be looked after first and foremost.
03:13That's so well said.
03:14Thank you so much for your time.
03:15That's wonderful to hear.
03:16My pleasure.
03:17Thank you so much.
03:18Cheers.
03:19I'm probably going to get a load of grief for that but I don't care, it's true.
03:21So there we go.
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