'Nervous' Ennis gets CBE

Athletics star Jessica Ennis received a CBE from the Queen on Thursday - 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."

This year will be another big year as the athlete is set to marry 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."

Ennis was joined by a host of other sports stars in a who's who of Olympic champions.

Sprint cyclist Jason Kenny, 24, was awarded an OBE, with MBEs going to long jumper Greg Rutherford, 26, flyweight boxer Nicola Adams, 30, and cycling team pursuit gold winner Joanna Rowsell, 24.

Performance director of British Cycling Sir David Brailsford was given a knighthood for services to cycling and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sir David led Britain to eight cycling gold medals for a second successive Olympics and Team Sky to a historic one-two in the Tour de France in 2012.

He said: "I'm honoured. It means so much and is such a humbling experience. I'm very proud.

"The Queen congratulated me on my birthday, which is actually on the 29th, which made her chuckle. I'm 49.

"We talked about the Olympics and how proud everyone was and what a great event it had been."

Sir David said he felt warm inside when he thought of the cyclists' achievements.

"I have seen their development for many, many years and all the background work, all the laughter and the tears and the pain," he said.

"It was fantastic for the country, of course, but particularly good for the riders and the sport of cycling itself."

For double gold winner Kenny, Thursday's ceremony was more nerve-racking than competing.

After meeting the Queen, he said: "It's the ultimate pressure situation. I'm not very good with words especially when the pressure's on. It's terrible."

Boxer Nicola Adams was also feeling the nerves. She is no stranger to confrontation after outclassing China's Ren Cancan to win gold last summer.

But she said: "I was actually more nervous for that than I was going in for my fight. I get nervous for every competition.

"Today I just didn't want to get anything wrong meeting the Queen and receiving my MBE."

Wearing Kurt Geiger shoes and a black Phillip Lim jacket, the Leeds-born fighter said her mother Dee was "more proud than I am - she's so happy".

Rowsell, who was given her MBE for services to cycling, said she plans to do an Open University degree in natural sciences and one day work as a sports scientist.

Receiving another award for her mantelpiece presented her with no fears, she said.

"After the Olympics I don't think I'll ever be nervous for anything again.

"I don't think you can ever have that level of pressure and expectation so I honestly wasn't nervous."

Robert Croft, 42, was awarded an MBE for services to cricket following his 23-year career with England and Glamorgan.

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