Jermain Defoe dedicates OBE to Bradley Lowery after being handed the gong in Birthday Honours

JERMAIN Defoe revealed he cried after being handed an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list last night - and immediately dedicated the gong to brave cancer tot Bradley Lowery.

The Bournemouth striker said he was “truly honoured and humbled” to receive the award - given in recognition for his charitable work through the Jermain Defoe Foundation, which was set up to raise money for underprivileged children in the Caribbean and the UK.

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Defoe said he felt “mixed emotions” over the award, coming nearly a year after Bradley’s death aged 6. The pair became close friends within the final months of Bradley's tragically short life.

Defoe said he wanted to “scream with joy” when his mum rang him up while he was on holiday to tell him about the OBE.

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But the footballer - speaking alongside his mother, added: “There’s been a lot of tears, it’s been tough. There have been times I’ve been in my car and I’ve - no one knows but you’re crying on your own.”

Dedicating the award to Bradley, Defoe said: “I woke up this morning and I did think about Bradley. It was a special relationship.

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“There were times when I stood there and I thought ‘I don’t understand, what have I really done?’ Bradley is the one who’s suffered.”