Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson gave 12-year-old fundraiser Luke Mortimer the shock of his life when he surprised him with an invitation to the Pride of Britain Awards
As Luke Mortimer stood next to the 6ft 5in wax figure of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, he admitted: “He is shorter than I imagined.” Those would have been brave words from the 12-year-old if he’d been in front of the real thing. As he realised when he came face-to-face with the Hollywood actor just a few hours later…
The star of blockbuster hits Moana and Jumanji surprised Luke with the exciting news he has been named Child of Courage at the the 2025 Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, with P&O Cruises. Luke, who battled meningitis at the age of six and had to have all his limbs amputated, was astonished to find himself gazing up at The Rock.
“You inspire a lot of people, including me now,” Dwane told the young fundraiser, who has undertaken a series of incredible physical challenges for charity.
The emotional moment took place after Luke, from Skipton, North Yorks, had been out for a special day in London with his dad, Adam, as a treat for the amazing work he has done to help others. This included a trip to the world-famous Madame Tussauds museum, where he had his first encounter with The Rock that day.
Posing next to the true-to-size wax figure of his celebrity idol for a picture, he revealed that he would never tell the Hollywood star how much taller he expected him to be if he was ever to meet him in real life. “He would knock me out,” Luke laughed.
Later, Luke and Adam were taken to a fancy hotel where they were to stay the night – and decided to order some room service. “Could I have two double smash beef burgers please?” Luke confidently requested, completely unaware of who was at the other end of the call.
Hiding in a room nearby, 53-year-old Dwayne was taking his order and preparing to give the young lad, who has raised over tens of thousands for charity by climbing mountains, the surprise of a lifetime. He told the lad: “We’ll be there shortly.”
Moments later, the professional wrestler-turned-movie star, who is currently promoting his newest film The Smashing Machine, walked into Luke’s room – food trolley in tow. With the joy and shock of the moment written all over his face, young Luke managed to keep his cool and met the star with a fist bump.
Dwanye said: “Good to meet you, I heard a lot about you, I heard that you climb mountains, so there is no challenge too big for you.” He continued: “Luke, I am not here just to deliver your room service, I am here to deliver some very, very, very exciting news. I have the honour of saying you have won a Pride of Britain Award. Congratulations.”
Stunned to silence by the news, Luke shook his head in disbelief. “I’m like your biggest fan, maybe literally,” The Rock told the inspirational boy, quipping about the height comment he had made earlier at the museum.
Luke said after the magic moment: “The only way to describe it would be gobsmacked. If you told me I was meeting him this morning, I would have told you you were crazy.”
Contracting meningococcal meningitis septicaemia in 2019, Luke needed both of his legs and arms amputated to save his life. After six months in hospital and 23 operations, he eventually went home – but his life had changed forever.
He recalled: “When I came home, everything was physically hard, but there is also the emotional aspect of it. I was scared of what people would think of me, I was worried if my life would be the same. It was very tough at that time.”
Determined to not let what had happened hold him back, and vowing to “quit whining and just do it”, in 2023 the schoolboy summited the 656ft tall Embsay Crag mountain, near Skipton, raising more than £26,000 for charities including LimbPower and Children in Need.
A year later, Luke, his mum Christine and brother Harry, 15, climbed Pen-y-ghent, where they met Adam and a 19-strong team of climbers who had summited six mountains in the UK as part of Luke’s fundraising efforts. They raised almost £20,000 to help fund prosthetics for Luke and help other children with amputations through the Amp Camp Kids charity.
Luke, who has since taken part in further challenges and has hope for more in the future, reflected on his day with The Rock. He said: “It did take a while to sink in that I had got the award – I was like, this cannot be real. On a scale of one to 10 of amazing, this was 100.”
Luke receiving his Child of Courage award will be one of the highlights of the Pride of Britain Awards, which celebrate the unsung heroes of this country.
Tune in to watch this and many more magical moments on ITV next Thursday at 8pm.
Meanwhile, Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks promise “pure chaos” on the red carpet at this year’s Pride of Britain Awards.
The best friends turned podcast hosts will once again be presenting the red carpet livestream, and admit that anything can happen on the night.
“Every red carpet with Sam is pure chaos,” says Pete, 36. “I like a plan, and he doesn’t have a plan – so you can imagine the carnage each time!”
But the pair will also have their tissues ready as they prepare to meet the incredible winners, who Sam, 33, hails as “the real heroes”.
“Pride of Britain is genuinely our favourite night of the year, because it’s all about the everyday heroes and people who wouldn’t usually be recognised,” he says.
“The winners are so selfless and it’s really important the industry turns to honour them.
“To hear their stories, and messages of hope always brings tears to our eyes without fail. It is truly an honour to present the red carpet and personally meet each winner.”
Last year’s Child of Courage winner, nine-year-old Florrie Bark, recently joined Sam and Pete for a special episode of their Staying Relevant podcast – and predictably stole the show.
“Florrie is so wonderful, funny and brave, and both Sam and I think she is amazing,” says Pete.
“We invited her to co-host the podcast with us – she is very special and we can’t wait to see her again this year.”
Florrie will be back again this year, after bringing a group of new friends with her to meet Katy Perry at London’s O2 on Monday night.
She will be hosting her own ‘Tea Time with Florrie’ segment on the red carpet this coming Monday (October 20) – and no doubt encouraging the celebs to reach into their pockets to support her award-winning charity BeMoreFab, which helps other children living with cancer.
Sam and Pete will also be joined by podcast legend GK Barry – who, along with Pete, was on this year’s judging panel for the awards, and will be reporting live from the red carpet.
- Tune in to the Pride of Britain red carpet livestream on Monday October 20 from 5pm on all socials using @prideofbritain
