Actor and singer Michael Ball has picked up his OBE at Buckingham Palace, joking with other recipients that "it is a nightmare in there".

Ball said he was "absolutely thrilled to bits" to have collected his award for services to musical theatre from the Prince of Wales.

He was among more than 80 people from the worlds of public service, charity work, business and entertainment who collected their honours, including nurse and Ebola survivor Will Pooley.

Ball's career has included roles in Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera, two Olivier theatre awards and being the UK's 1992 entry in the Eurovision Song contest.

Ball, 53, said he was particularly thrilled that his father had seen him accepting the award.

"What has been nice is being part of such a diverse group of people who are getting honours," he said.

"There are people from every walk of life and from every level of achievement. It has been very humbling to be in their company.

"We are really lucky in this country that we have this tradition. It is a wonderful piece of continuity and as far as life experiences go, this is right up there.

"It is something you will never forget and will always be able to look back on with pride. I feel very, very blessed and very lucky."

Mr Pooley, of Eyke, Suffolk, collected an MBE for his efforts in combating the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

He contracted the deadly virus while treating patients in Sierra Leone in 2014. He was airlifted back to the UK where he recovered before promptly returning to Africa to continue helping sufferers.

He also donated blood plasma to treat victims following his recovery. The blood of survivors contains natural antibodies that can protect against Ebola.