Sunderland legend Gary Bennett is named the North East Personality of the Year by the Football Writers Association.
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00:00 Put your hands together for a son of a legend, Gary Paddock, and me!
00:24 I've seen it, handy work in the programme. He's giving Tony Hart a run for his money with his drawings.
00:33 In fact, one of those is one of the raffle prizes we got Gary to sign a copy of that as well.
00:39 Yeah, we got that as well. We'll take that back to the table for a moment.
00:51 [Music]
01:00 Well Gary, we've got so much to talk about. Yes we have.
01:05 We were running about 15 minutes behind schedule when we started the awards, but we've rattled through with bang on time, so you're not getting away very, very quickly at all.
01:15 Bearing in mind it's the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation who does so much work for cancer, detecting it, trying to find effective ways.
01:23 First of all, if you don't mind, how is your health? How are you?
01:26 I'm good at the present moment. I've come up to a year in May, diagnosed with prostate cancer.
01:34 Again, got out of the blue, it was a bit of a fiddle. I went along to the doctors, they said go for the blood test.
01:44 Obviously positive, had an operation, then we played Luton in the second leg.
01:51 I'm in recovery now, everything's gone well.
01:55 I think the important message is, which I'm trying to get out there as well, especially for men, is that to get tested.
02:02 I've worked, there's nothing wrong with me, it's a fiddle, you go along and the earlier you can detect it, catch it,
02:13 the more chance you've got.
02:14 Brilliant.
02:16 You're in recovery now, you've won the award. You seem shocked.
02:27 I wasn't in shock, I thought you were joking. To be fair, I wasn't taking much notice because I spoke to Colin quite a few times,
02:37 but I'm just ahead of him.
02:38 I know the feeling. In fact I think the club's got a feeling too.
02:42 It doesn't really cross out, basically we're talking about Sunderland at the time, so there wasn't much to talk about.
02:49 It's quite a pleasure, I would agree with you as well.
02:51 You're not at all upset?
02:53 No, not at all. Again, when he mentioned it, I was in shock anyway.
02:56 To be awarded the biggest opera rocksman award, obviously personality of the year.
03:04 The last 18 months for me have been unbelievable.
03:08 Obviously the awards that you've received.
03:12 Coming up to June, it'll be 40 years I've been in the North East.
03:19 If you would have said that on the first time to a football club that I'd still be part and parcel of the North East,
03:26 I would have thought that he's from a different planet.
03:29 But there's something which is special about the North East, playing football here.
03:33 It's fantastic that you look at tonight and we've got women involved in football,
03:38 and that just goes to show you how far we've gone.
03:41 I think the development and breeding of North East football is now starting to take toll.
03:46 You look at the Sunderland women, fantastic job they're doing.
03:51 They've always been known of producing good footballers.
03:56 You look at Newcastle, you look at Sunderland, young players coming through the system.
03:59 If you go back a few years ago, this was the hotbed for footballers.
04:04 Hopefully we're on the right path.
04:06 Because you said you were born in Manchester, but raised in Sunderland.
04:11 Born in Manchester, but raised in Sunderland.
04:15 I can't believe we're that wrong, maybe I've got the slogan wrong.
04:18 Maybe you're naming Sunderland.
04:20 But if you get the slogan right...
04:23 I will.
04:25 I will.
04:26 But you've given something back to the community.
04:31 Because Colin, when he was already in Newcastle, said, and it struck me,
04:34 when a Sunderland fan meets Gary Bennett, they remember they've met Gary Bennett.
04:39 And you've given those supporters something back, have you not?
04:42 I have, but they've given me something back.
04:45 They've made me very welcome since day one.
04:48 Funny enough, I was in Norwich last night, me and Nick, staying in the hotel.
04:54 It's frightening, when you talk about supporters, you just think they're based in Sunderland,
05:01 not in the North East, they're based all around the world.
05:04 We were in the restaurant, and a young lad came to us, he said,
05:09 "Hello Gary, can I have a picture?" I said, "Yeah, no problem."
05:12 I said, "It's for my dad, he lives in Ireland." He said, "Oh, OK, fair enough."
05:16 He said, "And how are you?" He said, "Yeah."
05:19 We flew over from Ireland to Norwich to watch the game.
05:23 He's flying back, he flew back this morning, and then he's flying back over on Tuesday
05:29 to watch us play Leicester City.
05:32 And that's just to show you the support and passion from supporters from the North East.