Stephen Graham dedicates MOBO Award to stepfather in emotional speech

Stephen Graham dedicated his MOBO Award to his stepfather Mike Fazakerley in his emotional acceptance speech on Thursday.

The actor took to the stage at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester to accept another award for his performance in the highly acclaimed Netflix drama Adolescence.

"I'd just like to say a massive thank you to MOBO. This is a huge honour. This recognition for me means the world. I'd like to give love and respect for my fellow nominees. This is just as much theirs as it is mine," he began his speech after receiving the award for Best Performance in TV/Film.

After thanking his supporters, he emotionally said, "I'd like to dedicate this award to my dad, my pops. The one and only, Mike Fazakerley... God bless, namaste."

According to the Mail Online, Mike made a rare public appearance at the event to support his stepson and beat his hand on his heart as Graham spoke onstage.

The MOBO Awards were a family affair for The Irishman actor, who was joined by his half-brother Nathan as well as his 19-year-old son Alfie. He and his wife Hannah Walters also have a 21-year-old daughter, Gracie.

Mike, who was born in Africa, married Graham's mum Mary in 1989 when the star was just ten, and they stayed together until she died in 2022. The star maintained a good relationship with his biological father too.

In 2019, Graham admitted on BBC's Desert Island Discs that he was "slightly unsure of where (he) fitted in" when he was growing up in a blended family of different racial backgrounds.

"He helped me see who I am and what I am is good enough," he added of Mike. "He helped me find my own way and I got that sense of self in many respects from my mother, finding your own way."

"Pops is mixed race so that is where I learnt all the history of my culture and where I am from and what I am about."

The MOBO Award is the latest prize Graham has collected for Adolescence. He has already won an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and is currently nominated for a BAFTA TV honour.

The MOBO Awards, which celebrate music of Black origin, were a big night for Olivia Dean, who took home three prizes - Best Female Act, Album of the Year for The Art of Loving and Song of the Year for Man I Need.