Sports Personality of the Year LIVE: Latest updates and results as Beth Mead wins award ahead of Ben Stokes

“My dad was a world class curler and I always wanted to be like him,” says Muirhead. “I was just obsessed with the sport. I think to be a successful skip you need to have the leadership side of it, but that’s just my nature. I definitely have had a lot of low points in my career. I needed to train harder, I needed to practice harder if I wanted to be anywhere near the top of the podium. To be standing on the top of the podium after it all was very, very special.”

After going so close at the Pyeongchang Games, there was a glorious redemption for Muirhead in Beijing. ,

Back to the start of the year we go, as the show begins with the Winter Olympics in Beijing. A controversial Olympics, there was gold for Great Britain as Eve Muirhead led a new team of curlers to glory...

Here’s a reminder of tonight’s nominees. Voting will open later this evening.

Beth Mead - Football

Ben Stokes - Cricket

Ronnie O’Sullivan - Snooker

Eve Muirhead - Curling

Jessica Gadirova - Gymnastics

Jake Wightman - Athletics

“Time will stand still, just for a moment.”

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is underway in Salford.

“What an incredible 12 months it’s been,” says Gary Lineker. “We’ve been from the Winter Olympics to the winter World Cup”.

The ceremony is back in front of a studio audience, full of sports stars, for the first time in three years.

Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Clare Balding and Alex Scott return as hosts of the Sports Personality of the Year award - which get underway in just under 10 minutes!

Beth Mead

The Lionesses will figure prominently in the BBC One show and it would be a huge surprise if Mead does not walk away with the main prize. The Arsenal forward was named player of the tournament in England’s Euro 2022 success and also won the golden boot after scoring six goals and adding five assists. Her international goal tally for the season of 20 was a new England record.

Jessica Gadirova

The 18-year-old gymnast has had a stellar 2022, capped by becoming only the fifth British athlete to win an individual world title in artistic gymnastics. Gadirova achieved that with her floor routine in Liverpool in November, having previously claimed team silver and all-around bronze. A team bronze medallist at the Olympics last summer, Gadirova also retained her European floor title.

Eve Muirhead

A difficult Winter Olympics in Beijing for Britain had a golden ending as skip Muirhead led her curling rink to glory. The GB women only just made it through the round-robin stage before edging past Sweden and then romping to a final win over Japan. Muirhead completed her collection of major titles with gold at the World Mixed Doubles Championship before announcing her retirement.

The favourite for tonight’s main award Beth Mead has arrived at the red carpet on crutches, alongside team-mate and partner Vivianne Miedema and the rest of the Lionesses.

Mead ruptured the ACL in her knee last month, with Miedema suffering the same injury just weeks later. Both players are doubts for the World Cup next summer.

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Snooker’s biggest star claimed his seventh World Championship title in 2022 with an 18-13 win over Judd Trump, equalling Stephen Hendry’s record and becoming the oldest winner of the crown at 46. O’Sullivan is ranked world number one and also won the Champion of Champions and Hong Kong Masters titles this year. He has never won the SPOTY title.