Peter Andre and David Beckham rally behind petition to knight Captain Tom after raising £18.5m for NHS
17 April 2020, 10:51 | Updated: 17 April 2020, 15:35
The 99-year-old veteran has raised millions of pounds for the NHS after his 100 laps around his home with his walking aid.
Huge celebrities such as David Beckham and Peter Andre have backed Captain Tom Moore to be knighted after his incredible efforts raised a hefty amount for the NHS.
A week ago, 99-year-old army veteran Tom's total had only reached £1,000, but after being invited to speak on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, his fundraising efforts went viral, and he quickly zoomed past his amended goal of £500,000.
READ MORE: Government recognise Captain Tom Moore's efforts to raise million for the NHS
Piers Morgan calls for Captain Tom Moore to be knighted
Piers Morgan initially tweeted calling for the Captain - who lives in Bedfordshire with his family - to be knighted for his amazing efforts, and many have rallied behind this, saying it would be the perfect birthday present as he turns 100 later this month on April 30th.
He was even singled out by Matt Hancock during last night's Wednesday evening press conference at Downing Street.
Since Tom's efforts have gained such a following, a petition for him to be knighted has been set up by NHS worker Sonia Wilson.
Captain Tom Moore chats to Heart Breakfast
It's since gained over 500,000 signatures on Change.org and the number is only rising.
Singer and TV personality Peter Andre has voiced his support for Captain Tom, posting two pictures of the war hero on his Instagram.
Pete, whose wife Emily is currently working as a doctor for the NHS, captioned the post: “Captain Tom Moore deserves a knighthood. Raising £12 million for the NHS. What a great man he is.”
And David Beckham has also voiced his support for the veteran, posting an Instagram story, an image of the Captain.
He wrote: “So amazing to see that @captaintommoore reached his goal of 100 laps around his garden whilst raising over 13 million for the NHS.”
Captain Tom appeared on This Morning yesterday, and told hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes: "I don’t know about being a superstar but I think it’s amazing that all those people around the world are contributing to our NHS."
He continued: "It started off as a little joke in the family to raise some money and look what’s happened.
"My health is fine because of the NHS, they did so well when I broke my hip and they treated me so well, they deserve every penny they get.
"They are putting themselves in mortal danger every day and they do it cheerfully."
"They are all doing a marvellous job for the whole nation," he added.
