Vicky McClure dedicates MBE to ‘breaking barriers’ with dementia charity
The Line of Duty star was recognised by the King at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday for her services to drama and charity.
![Vicky McClure spoke with the King about her acting career (Jonathan Brady/PA)](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/12/12/14/c8b85fead79df956a7b13ce28755c815Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzAyNDc1OTc1-2.74835540.jpg)
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Actress Vicky McClure has dedicated being made an MBE to “breaking barriers” with her charity work around dementia.
The Line of Duty star, 40, was recognised by the King at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday for her services to drama and charity.
She founded the Our Dementia Choir in 2019 after her late grandmother Iris was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and found comfort in music.
Initially conceived as a show on BBC One, McClure then set up the choir as a registered charity which helps to support people living with dementia through the power of music.
The group even performed at McClure’s wedding to Jonathan Owen earlier this year.
Speaking after her investiture, McClure told the PA news agency: “We played at the O2 this year, we played at the Cavern Club, here, there and everywhere – they are a very, very busy choir of people that are living with dementia.
“We are breaking boundaries now and it is making a lot of noise and helping people realise that they shouldn’t feel so scared, because they are looking at these people and they are living well and thriving, not just sat in a chair doing nothing.
“People still have lives and still have things they want to achieve, and that’s what the choir are all about.”
She added: “(Dementia) is the UK’s biggest killer, it runs in my family on both sides and it’s something that’s very close to my heart.”
McClure said the charity has “loads of plans” for next year and the choir’s success has inspired others to create their own versions.
She described the experience of being made an MBE “surreal” and having “a sketchy night’s sleep” before the ceremony, but said the King asked what acting role she is working on in a “really nice, pleasant chat”.
McClure will return to prime-time TV in the second series of the ITV thriller Trigger Point, due to air next month.
Asked what fans can expect from her character Lana Washington in the new series, McClure said: “More of Lana running around (and) dealing with all kinds of chaos! It’s another nail-biter, an edge-of-your-seat, explosive drama. That’s really all I can say.
“We had a really good time making it, we’ve got some brilliant new cast members (and) lots of the original team.”
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