BBC Sports Personality of the Year LIVE WINNERS: Mary Earps beats world’s biggest stars to iconic SPOTY award
MARY EARPS has beaten Staurt Broad and Katarina Johnson-Thompson to the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
The Lioness legend made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to lift the prestigious prize.
And she is just the second female footballer to be crowned the BBC's SPOTY - a year after her Lionesses team-mate Beth Mead became the first.
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Follow ALL the action from the huge award show with our live blog below...
King Kenny
We didn't get to hear much from Sir Kenny Dalglish with the awards dished out so quickly towards the end. So here's a recap of what Dalglish, who won the Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement, had to say.
"I'm very grateful to the BBC, I don't know about their wisdom but they've chosen me to get this award and I'll treasure this dearly. It's really a thank you speech from me to the people involved. A couple of the lads have done us a real turn in the management game, you can work out for yourselves who that was. Some maybe not so good!
"All we did in the football was to try and make people happy and the best way to do that was to get results. Fortunately we managed to do that a few times and if they enjoyed us winning it's only a fraction of the enjoyment we got from playing for them.
"Present day I've got a job at Liverpool, it's a non-executive director, I don't know what it means but I've got a job. I'm quite fortunate that when I went back we won a trophy.
"We've mentioned Hillsborough, everybody knows what went on there and the people at Hillsborough are more important than football.
"As they say, you'll never walk alone. I genuinely appreciate this."
The winners
Here's a reminder of all of tonight's winners at the 70th BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
- Young Sports Personality of the Year - Mia Brookes
- Lifetime Achievement - Sir Kenny Dalglish
- Unsung Hero - Des Smith
- Helen Rollason - Fatima Whitbread
- World Sport Star - Erling Haaland
- Team of the Year - Manchester City
- Coach of the Year - Pep Guardiola
- Sports Personality of the Year - Mary Earps
Credit: PA The winning moment
"I am humbled"
On collecting the award, Earps said: "I feel a bit sick… firstly, I am humbled to be on a list of incredible athletes.
"To hear your stories have been great, sports brings people together and to be on the list with you is humbling.
"This is the ultimate all-round sporting accolade. This is just wow.
"It’s not been the easiest journey, I wouldn’t be here without the help of so many, people who’ve been with me through the really, really not-so-great times. I have done more than I could ever have imagined. Thanks to my team-mates and coaches. I am going to stop now before I get booted off my Gary Lineker!"
In 1st place…
It's Mary Earps!
She was the odds-on favourite but looks speechless.
She is the third woman to win it in a row. She also becomes the second successive women's footballer to win the award after her Lionesses colleague Beth Mead won the 2022 award.
In 2nd place…
It's Stuart Broad!
In 3rd place…
It's Katarina Johnson-Thompson!
Here we go...
OK, voting is closed and we're about to learn who has placed and won the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Standby folks.
Paying respects
The live orchestra are playing a moving rendition of In My Life by The Beatles as we remember those great sporting figures who passed in 2023.
Team of the Year and Coach of the Year
No prizes for guessing this one. Treble-winning Manchester City and genius manager Pep Guardiola
"So jealous I can't be there, Kyle Walker tells me it's so, so prestigious," says Pep whose side have just won 3-0 at the Club World Cup.
We believe you.
Credit: GETTY Sweepstake
Who had beyond 9pm in the sweepstake? The BBC appear to be motoring through these awards scheduled to finish in around six minutes.
Those waiting for TV drama Vigil will be disappointed…
Lifetime Achievement award
King Kenny Dalglish emerges to rapturous applause with 'You'll Never Walk Alone' ringing out from all corners of the auditorium.
He's won the Lifetime Achievement award.
The 72-year-old won eight league titles and three European Cups as a player and manager at Anfield. He also led Blackburn to the title.
";Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is truly an honour," he said.
"I have always believed in the importance of team success, and I wouldn't be where I am today without all of the players I've played with, the people I've worked for, and the supporters that stood by me, so this is for them."
Credit: BBC World Sport Star goes to…
It's Erling Haaland!
Not a huge surprise this one. He may have been overlooked at the Ballon d'Or but no such snub from BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The Norwegian, 23, won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League with Manchester City - scoring a couple of goals. 52 to be precise!
Quick pre-recorded message from the City star.
Fatima Whitbread honoured with Helen Rollason Award
Fatima Whitbread, the former javelin world champion, has been honoured with this year's Helen Rollason Award!
She grew up in a series of children's homes, and went on to conquer the world. Throughout her career she managed to win 10 top three medals.
In 1979 she won gold in the European Junior Championships shortly before coming third in the Commonwealth Games in 1982. In the 1983 World Championships Fatima came second which was the year before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where she earned a bronze medal.
The 1986 Commonwealth Games saw the star javelin thrower come second before winning gold at the European Championships and second at the Grand Prix Final the same year.
In the 1987 World Championships Fatima got another gold in Italy and in the 1988 Olympics she won a silver medal.
She makes a passionate speech, calling for 'fundamental change' for children in the care system. Whitbread campaigns to improve the care system and ensure children in care are "seen, heard and valued".
Credit: BBC Looking ahead
We take a brief look ahead to next summer's European Championships in Germany. England and Scotland have booked their tickets, while Wales will have two go through qualifying.
"My family aren't too happy with the ticket prices," says Andrew Robertson.
"Good luck to Scotland… honest," responds Gary Lineker.
Unsung hero award
James Anderson and Denise Lewis are out to present this very fine award to the 2023 BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero of the Year.
All 15 nominees are on the stage, and all have extremely inspiring stories. Well worth checking out.
But the winner is… Des Smith!
Des set up the Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club for young people in 1986. The club boasts five cricket teams and eight junior football sides as well as netball and hockey teams.
Suited and booted, Des said: "Thank you very much for this big surprise. It's surprising because I didn't know I was nominated!"
Who votes for this?
Must have heard my dad ask this question 400 times, albeit I've omitted the expletives.
So, the the award goes to the sportsperson whose sporting actions have most captured the UK public's imagination.
An expert independent panel meet to decide the six-person shortlist of sportspeople for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
After that, well it's up to the public of course. Voting is now open and you have 30 minutes from NOW.
Rory looks different
Or he's unavailable and Tommy Fleetwood is speaking about him on stage with Gary Lineker. He mainly spoke about that Ryder Cup success.
Rory McIlroy - Golf
The sixth and final nominee. Ok, he's 100/1 to clinch this tonight but stranger things have happened. Maybe. Kind of.
It might be a 10th year without winning a major - despite me backing him numerous times - but McIlroy is more than back on the radar.
The Northern Irishman finished as the top points scorer on either side at the successful Ryder Cup in Italy with four out of five matches won.
He also won the Scottish Open and retained his Race to Dubai title for the fifth time, earning him the No 1 ranking in February.
Rory McIlroy of Team Europe celebrates winningCredit: getty Mary Earps - Football
Here she is, the favourite.
The England and Manchester United goalkeeper has had an eventful year.
The 30-year-old won this year's Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She also won the Women's Super League Golden Glove for the 2022-23 season.
Earps was influential in helping England reach the final, registering three clean sheets and conceded just four goals in the entire competition.
She saved a penalty in the final despite the Lionesses' 1-0 defeat to Spain in Sydney. She was subsequently named England Women's Player of the Year for her heroics.
Earps was also active off the field. She drew plaudits when getting Nike to reverse their decision not to manufacture a replica jersey with her name on it. More than 170,000 people signed a petition in protest, with the £100 jersey selling out in hours.
Credit: GETTY Becks
David Beckham has recalled his memories of Sports Personality of the Year, having won the main award in 2001. He later won Lifetime Achievement award in 2010.
He said: "It was a surreal moment to be stood up there.
"Winning Sports Personality of the Year and 20 years before that having watched it at home with my mum and dad thinking 'one day I would love to do that.'
"It was one of the proudest moments of my career."
Don't remember either being mentioned in his recent Netflix documentary.
'Fairytale finish'
Speaking to Gary Lineker, Stuart Broad said: "Honestly, I could never have written a more fairytale finish.
"The best wicket you can take in cricket is the one that wins a Test match; to do it with my last ball in Test cricket to beat Australia was pretty cool.
“I think this summer, the 2023 Ashes, was full of emotion and drama, so competitive. I love that part of it and the Australians bring the best out of me.
“It was really special walking off and knowing that my family had seen my final act on a cricket pitch. Ultimately, cricket is my greatest hobby so I want to stay within the game. Although I won’t be bowling or hitting any more balls, I’ll still be part of the cricket family.”
Asked what Jimmy Anderson would do without him, Broad added: "He'll still be playing in ten years, don't you worry about that!"
Stuart Broad - Cricket
Next up, it's Stuart Broad!
Legendary England bowler Stuart Broad is in the running after a fairytale end to his career earlier this summer.
Broad hit a six with his last ball as a batter and took a wicket with his final ball to help England to victory in the fifth Ashes Test, levelling the series.
He's had more than a few iconic moments down the years, too many to go through here.
But clearly a picture of Broad refusing to walk despite clearly edging a ball against Australia in the 2013 Ashes should be hung in the Louvre somewhere.
He finished his career having taken 602 wickets in 167 Tests, making him the second most successful paceman in Test history behind team-mate James Anderson.
Credit: GETTY The Ashes
Gary Lineker kindly glossed over England's abysmal effort at the ODI World Cup before a full review of the recent Ashes series.
Radio host and cricket fan Greg James is clearly giving us a balanced view…
Young Sports Personality
Oh, our first award of the night is coming up.
It's between Snowboarder Mia Brookes, archer Penny Healey and wheelchair basketballer Charlie McIntyre.
And the winner is… MIA BROOKES!
Brookes was the youngest world champion in snowboarding history when she won slopestyle gold in February.
Credit: BBC
