July 26th 2023.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock has been honoured in a truly special way. The Little Mix star, 31, who first came to public attention in 2011 when she was picked to form part of the band on The X Factor, has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work.
The award is just another feather in Leigh-Anne's cap, having already achieved incredible success as part of Little Mix, with hit singles such as Shout Out to My Ex and Woman Like Me, and having also founded The Black Fund in 2020.
Leigh-Anne returned to her hometown of High Wycombe on Wednesday to collect the honorary doctorate, escorted across campus by chancellor and The Repair Shop host, Jay Blades, who has been her mentor since she was a teenager.
"Growing up, I must have walked past BNU’s High Wycombe campus a million times, curious about what was being studied and taught there," Leigh-Anne said. "But in all that time I never imagined I’d be stood here today with an honorary doctorate in the arts. It’s such a privilege to be recognised by such a credible, creative, and supportive university so I am extremely happy and proud to be here today.”
In her speech, Leigh-Anne encouraged the students to believe in themselves and to ‘surround yourself with others who believe in you too’. “In many ways, my story is one that I think mirrors many of the students’ experiences here today," she said. "It’s a story of a woman who had a passion, who had a goal that she thought might just be achievable. But it’s also a story of a woman who thanks to the support of her mentors and believers, along with a lot of hard work and dedication, eventually got where she wanted to be."
Leigh-Anne was also full of praise for Jay, whom she credited as mentoring her since she was a teenager. Jay shared his thoughts, saying: “Leigh-Anne couldn’t deserve this more. Not only is she an incredible talent, but she also uses her platform for the good of society and has never forgotten her roots. I am so proud of all that she’s achieved and was thrilled to be here today to see her recognised for her work.”
To mark the special occasion, Leigh-Anne was treated to a flash mob dancing to her debut solo single Don’t Say Love. Little Mix announced in 2021 that they would be ‘taking a little break’ but were ‘not splitting up’, so we look forward to seeing what projects Leigh-Anne has lined up next.
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