Evans told Owen that the response back in Wales had been "overwhelming".

"We were just thrilled by the response when we woke up in the morning from home. It was just everything we could wish for," she said.

In his acceptance speech, Rhys paid tribute to the "great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anyone else".

"We are a small but mighty nation," he said, ending his speech with "diolch yn fawr iawn", which means "thank you very much" in Welsh.

Evans said her brother has lived abroad for 25 years, but Wales "is absolutely in his heart and is his home", adding that he was "really keen to speak to everybody" the day after his wins.

"Wales had been so supportive of his career all along and had really cheered him on," she added.

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