Overview
- Riley was named in the King’s Birthday Honours on Friday, June 12, and has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama and to charity.
- The Bury-born actor is best known for playing Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale from 1995–2001 and again since 2019, a role the honours citation highlights as central to her career.
- Riley has publicly linked her charity work to the death of her mother, Cath, from pancreatic cancer and serves as an ambassador for Breast Cancer Now, Maggie’s Yorkshire, Sane and Sue Ryder.
- ITV’s continuing drama director Iain Macleod praised Riley as a “much-beloved presence” on screen and welcomed the recognition of her on- and off-screen contributions.
- Riley said the MBE was her “best 50th birthday present,” capping a long public profile that includes Strictly Come Dancing in 2012 and finishing fifth on I’m a Celebrity in 2025.