SHEFFIELD athletics star Jessica Ennis received a CBE from the Queen today - but was so nervous she forgot what she said.
The 27-year-old, who took heptathlon gold in last year’s London Games, arrived at Buckingham Palace with fiance Andy Hill, whom she will marry this year.
Ennis, wearing a figure-hugging Antonio Berardi dress, said: “I’m feeling very excited, though it was nerve-wracking before.
“It’s incredible to receive this.”
Asked what the Queen said, Ennis replied: “You know when you’re so nervous and you forget?
“She just said the summer was amazing, ‘How’s training going?’, so it was very, very nice.
“It’s all going well (training). I’ve had a bit of a cold so had a few days off. I’ve been training hard the past few weeks, it’s going well.”
Ennis was at the centre of a feel-good summer last year as Team GB made the nation proud with its Olympics medal haul.
“It still doesn’t feel real, to be honest,” she said.
“It was just an amazing year for British athletics and British sport and to be part of that in such a big way was incredible.”
2013 will be another big year as the athlete is set to marry Mr Hill in the spring.
“It’s an exciting year again, with lots of planning and things to look forward to,” she said.
Asked how many children they would like, she said: “I don’t know. I definitely want a family in the future but still have a little bit more I want to achieve athletics-wise...
“I don’t know, we’re not sure.
“We can’t share that with the world, it’s private. I don’t know, we’ll see.”
Today’s ceremony sees honours go to a collection of athletes who became household names with their achievements as part of Team GB.
Boxing gold medal winner Nicola Adams, 30, is being awarded an MBE. The Leeds flyweight, who outclassed China’s Ren Cancan to win, said: “I’m over the moon, really excited.”
Wearing Kurt Geiger shoes and a black Phillip Lim jacket, she added: “It isn’t every day you get to come to the palace and receive the MBE.
“I am over the moon and can’t believe I’m receiving this today.”
Greg Rutherford, 26, who landed a gold in the long jump, spoke of his excitement at being awarded the MBE. He said: “I am very excited and very nervous as well.
“It’s not every day you get to do something like this and meet the Queen. The heart’s racing a bit.
“You dream of doing well at an Olympics, especially a home Olympics, and then the things that come along after that are just absolutely out of this world.
“I don’t think truly you can imagine these sorts of things happening and being awarded by the Queen. It really is just extraordinary.”
Other recipients today include Cherie Blair and actor Adrian Lester.
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