Andy Murray crowned Sports Personality of the Year 2015 winner ahead of Kevin … – Daily Mail

In the end there were injuries but no more insults. Gary Lineker cut himself rather badly on the main Sports Personality of the Year trophy before Andy Murray received it.

And Tyson Fury avoided further controversy by not only saying sorry for his offensive remarks but allowing his wife to be here when he had suggested she was at home, ‘handcuffed to the bed’.

World heavyweight champion Fury was joking, of course, during the radio interview he gave on Sunday morning, but much to the relief of BBC bosses he did not sink them in Belfast’s Titanic quarter with anything derogatory or too risqué.

Andy Murray holds the Sports Personality of the Year 2015 trophy above his head after receiving the most votes from the British public

Murray speaks to the audience after picking up his second Sports Personality of the Year award at a lavish ceremony in Belfast

Second-placed Kevin Sinfield (left) and third-placed Jessica Ennis-Hill (right) pose for a photo with Sports Personality winner Murray

Murray (centre) shakes the hand of Leeds Rhinos’ rugby league player Sinfield (left), who finished second behind the British No 1

Murray also shared a kiss with athlete Ennis-Hill (left) who finished third place behind Sinfield and Murray on a successful night for sport

Murray (pictured on the red carpet before the start of the ceremony in Northern Ireland) was joined by his Davis Cup team-mates

Jamie Murray, Kyle Edmund, Daniel Evans, coach Leon Smith, James Ward, Andy Murray and Dominic Inglot (l-r) pose on the red carpet

And helpfully, Fury also didn’t make the top three. Murray lifted the trophy for the second time after leading Great Britain to their first Davis Cup triumph in 79 years, rugby league star Kevin Sinfield was second and world heptathlete champion Jessica Ennis-Hill third.

After being presented with the trophy by New Zealand Rugby World Cup winner Dan Carter, Murray said: ‘It’s very humbling to be up here in front of so many great athletes — I’m just a great sports fan and I’m really nervous. This has been a five-year journey — we were right down at the bottom level of tennis and now we’re ranked No 1 in the world and I never thought that would be possible.’

The live interview with Fury had been causing concern at the BBC after he equated homosexuality with paedophilia and expressed some alarmingly sexist views in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

Fury received fierce criticism as a result and so did the national broadcaster, with BBC director general Tony Hall having to defend the boxer’s selection on the 12-strong shortlist to a parliamentary committee last week.

Tyson Fury, who has courted controversy following his boxing win over Wladimir Klitschko, arrives on the red carpet at the SSE Arena

Boxer Fury (left, and right alongside his father John) was interviewed by Gary Lineker on the stage, apologising ‘if I hurt anyone’

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender supporters protest at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards at the inclusion of Fury

It had been enough to persuade Greg Rutherford to pull out of the show, only for the BBC to spend two days persuading the long jump champion to change his mind. Rutherford was here, rightly so.

Nevertheless, members of Northern Ireland’s gay community remained angry enough to demonstrate outside Belfast’s SSE Arena but Fury managed to navigate his way through his brief chat with Lineker without any real problems even if many will question his sincerity. Lineker did well when his own colleagues had refused to interview him. ‘Shall we start with the fight?’ said Lineker, who then overcame the fact that Fury was slow to grasp that he was being asked a specific question about his comments.

Referring to himself in the third person, Fury said : ‘I’ve said a lot of stuff in the past and none of it is with the intention to hurt anybody. It is all tongue in cheek and a bit of fun and games for me. I’m not really a serious type of person. Everything is happy-go-lucky with Tyson Fury.

Presenter Gary Lineker (pictured right alongside co-host Clare Balding) cut his left hand on the trophy just seconds into the ceremony

Co-presenter Gabby Logan (left) interviews Ennis-Hill on the stage during the ceremony; she was second favourite to win SPOTY

Ennis-Hill (left) speaks to her partner Andy Hill from their seats at the SSE Arena in Belfast during the awards ceremony on Sunday night

Sinfield, the Leeds Rhinos’ rugby league player nominated for the first time, speaks to Balding in front of his team-mates on stage

Lewis Hamilton, the 2014 Sports Personality of the Year winner, speaks to Lineker via a video link as he was unable to attend the event

‘If I have said anything in the past that has hurt anybody, I apologise to anybody that has been hurt.’

The apology was met with cheers, as was his assessment of the impressive, most unexpected defeat of Wladimir Klitschko. ‘If I go on and win another 2,000 fights, nothing will ever top the fight I’ve just had in Germany,’ he said.

A quick glance at a straight-faced Rutherford suggested he remained unimpressed but ultimately the public gave their verdict on Fury. He finished fourth even if his sporting achievement should have had him in the top three.

Some might question the quality of the opposition in the Davis Cup but clearly Murray’s dedication to the cause, his desire to assist his team-mates in winning the competition for Great Britain swung the voting his way.

‘A friend sent me an article saying I was duller than a wet weekend in Worthing; that’s pretty harsh on Worthing,’ joked Murray with that trademark deadpan delivery. The man is a credit to his sport.

Ennis-Hill perhaps deserved better than third having won world heptathlon gold only 13 months after giving birth to her son.

‘I definitely did worry about how I would physically come back,’ she said. ‘I had quite a few doubts.’

Max Whitlock, Britain’s first male gymnastics world champion, stunned the audience with an impressive breakdance routine on a grand piano while wearing a suit.

But nobody stole the show quite like Bailey Matthews, the eight-year-old receiving the Helen Rollason award for completing a triathlon despite suffering from cerebral palsy. An amazing achievement and a delightful young man.

Greg Rutherford (left) paid tribute to his baby son and family as he spoke to Logan on the stage during the SPOTY ceremony in Belfast

MURRAY QUICK TO LAUGH AT HIMSELF AFTER SPORTSMAIL PIECE

Andy Murray proved he does have a sense of humour when his first act upon receiving his SPOTY award was to poke fun at himself in reference to Michael Henderson’s preview article in Sportsmail last week, when he compared the personality of the British No 1 to a week in Worthing.

Upon collecting his award on Sunday night, Murray said: ‘Thank you very much. I didn’t expect this, a friend sent me a message the other day with an article saying ‘Andy Murray is duller than a weekend in Worthing’, which I thought was a bit harsh – on Worthing!’

Another nominee, swimmer Adam Peaty, speaks to Balding during his interview on the stage at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead wore a blue, red and black dress for the event; she is pictured posing for photographers on the red carpet

Lucy Bronze (right) is the first womens’ footballer nominated for the prize; she is pictured on stage alongside her England team-mates

Karen Carney, Laura Bassett, Fara Williams, Alex Greenwood, Jill Scott, Toni Duggan, Eniola Aluko, Steph Houghton and Bronze (l-r) pose

Gymnast Max Whitlock, one of the 12 nominees on Sunday night, put on a show for the Belfast crowd ahead of his interview on stage