Adolescence was one of the stand-out winners at the Emmy last night (14 September), and the show’s star and writer Stephen Graham was honoured with the prize for outstanding writing, as well as for best actor in a limited series. Taking to the stage to accept his award, he made an emotional tribute to his children, as we as to his wife and ‘soulmate’, Hannah Walters.

In a moving speech, Stephen thanked, his ‘kids Grace and Alfie’ and his ‘adorable wife,’ Hannah. He said he loved her ‘with every ounce of my being,’ and described her as his ‘rock’, ‘world’ and ‘soulmate’. He added, ‘I know, without you, I would be dead.’

The star also spoke about his own upbringing saying, ‘this kind of thing doesn’t happen to a kid like me. I’m just a mixed race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby,’ which is in Liverpool. ‘So for me, to be here today, in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the utmost humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life, and it shows you that any dream is possible.’