Piers Morgan has admitted his chances of receiving a knighthood from the Queen are slim.
The Good Morning Britain presenter was widely praised for his combative interviews with Government ministers during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
One bookmaker slashed the odds on Morgan being made a sir but the TV journalist – who led the calls for Captain Sir Tom Moore to be knighted – is not expecting a call from Buckingham Palace any time soon.
He said: “I think that the chances of ‘Arise Sir Piers’ coming out of Her Majesty’s mouth are at the lower end of the probability spectrum.
“In the same way I wish I had rushed out and put a bet on Captain Tom being knighted, I would probably put a bet on me not being. It would be a safer bet.”
Morgan will interview Sir Tom for his Life Stories series, promising to discuss his service in the Second World War, his life and his fundraising.
The 100-year-old military veteran shot to worldwide fame for his lockdown exploits after raising almost £33 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his landmark birthday in April.
The remarkable success story was completed when Sir Tom was knighted by the Queen in an outdoor ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Morgan, 55, was an early champion of Sir Tom and said he is “very proud” of the small part he played in his success.
“It’s one of the most extraordinary stories I’ve ever encountered in my journalistic career,” Morgan said. “I feel very proud I’ve got to know Captain Tom and to have become quite friendly with him. He rings me up and we have chats and it’s great.
“He is just a really funny, warm, smart Yorkshire man and he can’t believe what’s happened to him. He wants to ride the wave of it and do as much as he can to raise money and awareness for causes and it’s fantastic.
“He said he can’t believe his luck at this stage in his life. He is a great guy. He has a book coming out and he approached us about doing Life Stories and I’m just touched that he would want to do that. It’s going to be great.”
The new series of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories begins with Vinnie Jones on Saturday at 10pm on ITV.