Celebrities who snubbed New Year Honours and those who handed them back

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The King's New Year Honours List for 2023 has been announced and while some celebrities dream of being recognised, others have turned it down entirely.The annual award recognises exceptional achievements of people across the country, including stars of the stage, screen and of sports.

But over the years, many famous faces have politely declined to be recognised by the reigning monarch.From Scots actor Alan Cumming to Nigella Lawson and David Bowie, celebs have given a number of reasons as to why they don't want to receive the accolade.

While some have said no outright, others have changed their tune after accepting their medal, sending it back to Buckingham Palace.Read below to learn more, as reported by the Mirror.Actor Michael Sheen was awarded an OBE back in 2009, but handed it back years later.

The 51 year-old was given the title in the year's Honours List for his services to drama, but has told how he gave it back a few years after as he did not want to be a "hypocrite".During an interview with journalist Owen Jones, the Underworld actor told that he changed his mind about the accolade when he began researching Welsh history when he was invited to speak at the Learning and Work Institute’s Annual Raymond Williams Memorial Lecture - which was organised in partnership with The Open University in Wales - on November 16, 2017.Mr Sheen said he meant "absolutely no disrespect" in returning the OBE, and added he was at the time "incredibly honoured" to have received it.