Myleene Klass has said the decision to honour her for campaigning on miscarriage sends a clear message that women's healthcare "needs to move forward". The musician and broadcaster, 47, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and received her medal from Charles at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for her work raising awareness and pushing for legal reform following multiple pregnancy losses.
She told the PA news agency: "The King himself has now acknowledged that miscarriage care and healthcare needs to move forward. We're actually in a position where we can change the law, and women can benefit from it."
Royal recognition for healthcare reform
Klass, who has spoken publicly about suffering four miscarriages, has led calls for improved support and policy change and has become one of the country's most vocal advocates for reform. She described the honour as recognition for "the achievements of so many people that come together" to improve what she called a neglected area of women's health.
"When I was going through my own miscarriages, you feel so invisible - you just feel you need somebody to guide you out of it," she said. "There's so much negativity about miscarriage healthcare - women feel so lost, so dragged down by it all."
From pop star to campaigner
Klass, who rose to fame with the pop group Hear'Say before establishing a successful career as a classical musician, presenter and entrepreneur, said she never imagined her work would take her in this direction. "I trained as a musician - I always thought that was the route the world would take me in. It's certainly diversified along the years," she said.
"So many people want you to stay in your line, to box you in. But the beauty of how the world works is you can do many jobs - they all inform one another."
Lewis honoured for charity work
Former X-Factor singer Leona Lewis, 40, was also made an MBE for her music career and years of charity work on animal welfare and environmental causes. "I've always been an ambassador for animals and a voice for the voiceless," she said.
"To be recognised for music is amazing - but to be recognised for charitable work is so meaningful. Music is my life's work, but when you are given a platform, it's important that you use it to bring awareness, to use our voice for something bigger than ourselves."
Family celebration at Windsor
The singer was joined by her husband, Dennis Jauch, and her father, Aural Josiah Lewis, at the ceremony. "I just want to give back because I feel like I've been very blessed," she added.
Former health secretary Patricia Hewitt, 76, was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to public health and NHS reform. She said she was "over the moon" to receive the honour and described it as a tribute to the thousands of people she had worked alongside throughout her career.
Dame Patricia's NHS legacy
"I never expected to receive any honour at all, let alone one as significant as this," she told PA. "It means an enormous amount to me. When I heard the news, I felt it was a tribute, not just to me, but to the thousands of amazing people I've worked with over the years - not only in the NHS but also in social care."
Dame Patricia served as health secretary under Sir Tony Blair from 2005 to 2007 and oversaw major reforms, including the ban on smoking in public places, which became law in 2007. She said the smoke-free legislation was the most significant contribution of her political career.
Smoking ban saves lives
"The smoke-free legislation that I helped steer through Parliament is absolutely the biggest thing I ever did for the health of the nation," she said. "It saved more lives than any of us expected. I remember the Chief Medical Officer coming to see me just nine months after it came into effect and saying we were already seeing fewer people dying from heart attacks because they were no longer breathing in second-hand smoke."
She added: "It's one of those rare examples of a piece of legislation that changed both attitudes and behaviour - and did it very quickly." Also recognised at the investiture were Sir Warren East, the former chief executive of Rolls-Royce, who was knighted for services to the economy and Net Zero aviation, and Sir Nick Gibb, the long-serving former Schools Minister, honoured for services to education.
Other notable honours
Other recipients included Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, chief executive of cybersecurity company Darktrace, and Soma Sara, founder of the Everyone's Invited initiative, alongside high-profile figures in agriculture, Holocaust education and crop science.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
