Adele Roberts, Sandi Toksvig & Suranne Jones scoop DIVA Awards gongs.

Photo: DIVA.

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OutNewsGlobal’s Chief Correspondent Steven Smith and Editor Rob Harkavy were both in attendance at the DIVA Awards tonight (29 April), the highlight of Lesbian Visibility Week. Rightly acknowledged as one of the most hotly anticipated events in the lesbian calendar, the DIVA Awards salute and celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people as well as their allies across business, the media and the charity sector.

Hosted by author and actor Sophie Ward, the star-studded event was attended by a host of famous names, including Dawn Butler MP, comedians Sandi Toksvig and Rosie Jones, along with actors Denise Welch and Suranne Jones.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts secured the DIVA Choice Award for her role in furthering LGBTQI visibility in broadcasting and her openness about her cancer journey, with UK Black Pride receiving the coveted Community or Charity Project accolade. A lesbian musician with a cult following, Lucy Spraggan was crowned Musician of the Year, with Doctor Who picking up the award for Media Moment for its portrayal of woman-to-woman love between the thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill. Mae Martin secured Actor of the Year, having written and starred in Feel Good alongside Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, Fresh Meat, Call The Midwife). Suranne Jones secured Celebrity Ally of the Year, having recently portrayed DCI Amy Silva in Vigil as well as historic lesbian Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack. In 2021, she unveiled a statue of Anne in Halifax in a ground-breaking moment of support for the WLW community.

Monica Beadle secured the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. A well-known figure amongst the LGBTQ+ community, Monica was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to Peckham, South London in the 1950s, later coming out as a lesbian and starting a family. In 2019, she was the subject of Monica – Loose On A Cruise, premiering at the Lesflicks Film Festival. She was presented the award by her son, Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE.

Awards founder and publisher of DIVA magazine, Linda Riley commented: “I am delighted to be back celebrating the DIVA Awards in person, which is something we haven’t done since 2019. These awards not only bring together LGBTQI women and non-binary people and their allies, but also the entirety of the DIVA Community.

“DIVA exists to champion, uplift and celebrate LGBTQI women and non-binary people, and since our first issue in 1994, we’ve grown to become a global enterprise. In the last year, we’ve celebrated our 300th issue and launched podDIVA, and the DIVA Awards are a remarkable moment to reflect on that, too. This is a truly special way to bring Lesbian Visibility Week to a close.”