Sheridan Smith OBE Ceremony 'A Bit Of A Blur'

Actress Sheridan Smith told the Duke of Cambridge she did not feel like a worthy recipient of an OBE during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The Gavin And Stacey star said she was overcome with emotion and shaking when she was presented with the honour.

The celebrated actress was honoured for a varied career that has included appearances in popular TV sitcoms, West End musicals and serious dramas that have earned her a BAFTA and two Olivier Awards.

Smith played down her achievements during her brief chat with Prince William and she later recounted: "I did say I don't feel as worthy as so many of the recipients, but thank you so much, it's a huge honour.

"He said he'd seen some of my work, which is amazing, and was a fan of Gavin And Stacey.

"And I congratulated him on his wonderful children and he shook my hand and I was shaking - it's all a bit of a blur. It was a huge honour and I will absolutely treasure this, I can't quite believe it.

"I just do my acting, it's what I love doing. I never ever expected to get an OBE so this is absolutely indescribable."

The 33-year-old actress started in showbusiness early, joining her parents' country and western duo on stage as they gigged in pubs and clubs around her native Lincolnshire.

Smith got her first real break in the business when she moved to London aged 16 for a part in the stage show Bugsy Malone.

She was known mainly for minor parts in TV shows before her career took off in 2011 when she won an Olivier Award for Legally Blonde.

More stage success - and another Olivier - followed for her performance in the revival of Terrence Rattigan's Flare Path and she took on weighty roles in Hedda Gabler and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

She won a BAFTA for her performance as the eponymous Mrs Biggs and also played Cilla Black in an ITV biopic.

Her portrayal of the Liverpudlian singer was so successful that it sent her version of Anyone Who Had A Heart into the Top 40.

The actress' recent role as cancer blogger Lisa Lynch in the BBC1 drama The C Word has also earned her praise and she was sporting short dark hair at the investiture - a result of having shaved her head for the part.