Sir Bradley Wiggins: 'Paul Weller convinced me to accept knighthood'

Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed that musician Paul Weller convinced him to accept a knighthood when he was prepared to turn it down.

The cyclist was handed the honour after becoming the first Brit to win the Tour de France in 2012 and a few months later, clinched Olympic gold in London.

During an interview with Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, Wiggins revealed that he bumped into the former frontman of The Jam at their tailor's and they had a conversation about the knighthood.

"He said, 'it's different for sport'," Wiggins recalled. "As soon as he said that, I thought I'd better take it. I kind of had his blessing."

Wiggins also opened up about his father, whom he claimed "abandoned" him and his mother when he was 18 months old.