has paid a touching tribute to his wife Anita Dobson after she was awarded an OBE in the. guitarist took to Instagram to share his pride and admiration for Dobson, who received the honour not only for her iconic acting career but also for her long-standing philanthropic work.

On Saturday (June 13), the musician shared a glamorous snap of his loving wife with a short but emotional message. He penned: "Anita, Lady May OBE !!! Some recognition, so well-deserved, for my amazing missus - who never even pauses in her missions to bring smiles into people's lives. Very proud! Bri."

Dobson, 76, is best known for her infamous role as Angie Watts in EastEnders, a character that left a lasting impression on viewers up and down the country.

Fans soon swarmed to the comments section to pass on their well wishes to the actress, with one writing: "WOW, how cool is that?!!! I'm so happy for you two! Congratulations!!"

Another agreed: "Congratulations to your wonderful lady wife Anita, this was long overdue, love her." A third gushed: "What wonderful news - I'm so happy for her! And happy for you too of course."

A fourth chimed in with: "Congratulations to Lady May. So well deserved." The honour comes during a challenging time for the couple, as May continues to recover from a serious health scare.

Last September, the legendary guitarist revealed he had suffered a "minor stroke", something which left him temporarily unable to control his arm which terrified the experienced musician.

At the time, May candidly shared fans: "All of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn't have any control over this arm, so it was a little scary. I had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley Hospital; blue lights flashing the lot, very exciting."

He added: "It was scary. I couldn't get a fork from the table to my mouth without it all going all over the place. But after only a few days, it's amazing what you can get back. By sheer willpower, you just start retaining your muscle."

In a recent appearance on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, Dobson gave an update on the star's health, reassuring fans: "Yeah, he's good.

"He's good and he's still exercising and taking his tablets. He played at [the] Coachella festival in America and you wouldn't know he'd been ill. He was top of his game - brilliant."

May's surprise performance at Coachella in April alongside rising star Benson Boone and marked his first major performance since his health scare.

The couple, who met in 1986 and tied the knot in 2000, have long been admired for their strong partnership, both personally and professionaly.

During the interview, Dobson also revealed that despite their differing musical roots, thy share a lot of love for blues and great songwriting.

She confessed: "He's heavy metal and I'm theatre. He's got a collective taste. He likes a bit of opera, classical, really heavy metal and everything in between. A good song and a good riff."