13 October 2023 , 10:19
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Josh Cavallo has congratulated Jake Daniels after the Blackpool star was named "Gamechanger of the Year" at the Attitude Awards.
Attitude, an LGBT+ magazine, hosts the annual ceremony to recognise the work of people from the community. Daniels became the first British professional footballer to come out as gay for more than 30 years back in May 2022.
He followed in the footsteps of Cavallo, who became the first-ever top-flight footballer in the world to come out in October 2021. Both stars have since gone on to become vocal advocates for the LGBT+ community, attending pride parades and speaking out on issues.
Daniels has now been recognised for that work by Attitude, winning the "Gamechanger of the Year" award on Wednesday night. The Blackpool star posted a message on Instagram with images of his award.
"Well how do I start. Last night at the @attitudemag awards was absolutely amazing. The amount of amazing icons and trailblazers in our community who I was able to meet has left me absolutely speechless," he wrote as the caption.
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"I had such an amazing time and winning the “Game changer Award” made the night extra special. Thank you to everyone for the support and thank you to Attitude for the invite."
Cavallo was delighted to see Daniels win, a year after the Australian himself was named 'Man of the Year' by Attitude. He replied to Daniels' Instagram post by writing: "Congrats Jakey".
In his acceptance speech, Daniels delivered an uplifting message to those in his community. The 18-year-old admitted he was "s***ing" himself as he stepped up to accept the award, but was honoured to do so.
"I've had about 10 glasses of wine but I'm still s***ing myself so bear with me. I wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone who is here tonight, being invited was such a heartwarming moment," Daniels said.
“When I came out at 17, I did not expect to be standing here winning such an amazing award in front of so many amazing people who do such amazing stuff for the LGBTQ+ community.”
"Seeing so many amazing faces here tonight, it really means a lot to be a part of that community. Obviously, I want to thank a few people, my partner sat down there, love you so much.
“Thank you for being by my side and supporting me in everything I do. He comes to everything with me, he always has my back, and he’s a massive part of my life. Thank you so much for this award, I massively appreciate it. And everyone in here – f***ing slay.”