SPOTY recap: Rory McIlroy wins SPOTY after Luke Littler double snub

Rory McIlroy battled to keep his emotions in check as he paid tribute to Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe at this evening's Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) ceremony. The two fathers completed the London Marathon in memory of their daughters, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, who were tragically murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July 2024.

The fathers are determined to create enduring memorials for their daughters; through initiatives including Elsie's Story, Alice's WonderDance and Bebe's Hive. Both men delivered heartfelt addresses after being presented with the Helen Rollason Award for 2025.

Read the full story here.

The awards ceremony at Salford's MediaCityUk has now drawn to a close, after it was announced the McIlroy had won the Sports Personality of the Year award.

Capping off his speech, McIlroy said: "And to the BBC for hosting these awards. I remember growing up, looking forward to this night, watching it on TV, seeing who was going to win. It was always a big part in the run up to Christmas. Just very honoured to get my hands on this trophy behind me and hopefully I can challenge to get it again next year. But thank you everyone. Truly is an honour and have a great evening. Thank you."

McIlroy also took the time to share grace for important people in his life. He said: "I have a lot of people to thank, firstly the public. Thank you for voting me as your sportsperson of the year. My family, my mum and dad. They sacrificed so much for me and I obviously wouldn't be here without them, so mum and dad, if you're watching, thank you.

"My wife Erica, my daughter Poppy. They are what sort of holds me together, my rock. They couldn't be here tonight, they're back in America but I can't wait to get back to see them tomorrow and celebrate this with them as well. So thank you for all of your support, everything that you've done for me over the years, and can't wait to get back and see you. Love you."

McIlroy added: "It's been the year that I made my dreams come true, from Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything else in-between. It really has been the year that dreams are made of."

Speaking after receiving the award, McIlroy said: "First of all I'd just like to congratulate all the other finallists here tonight. What you've all done this year, and over the course of your careers, I know how much hard work and dedication it takes. It's a pleasure just to be in this room, along with so many dedicated people, and yeah, I feel truly honoured just to be a part of it so congratulations."

Rory McIlroy has won the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award!

Ellie Kildunne takes the runner-up spot in the voting, while Lando Norris finishes third.

Luke Donald's Team Europe win Team of the Year, as Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood collect the award. McIlroy said: "We're up here as two of the 12 players, but we also had the captain, Luke Donald, our vice-captains, all of the backroom team. We couldn't have done what we done in Bethpage without all of them."

Michelle Agyemang beats Luke Littler and Davina Perrin to the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

The Bantam of the Opera are currently on stage performing a rendition of Country Roads, Take Me Home, in tribute to athletes and journalists that have passed away this year.

Sarina Wiegman is the BBC's Coach of the Year.

Speaking after receiving the award, the Dutch manager said: "This award is for the players and staff. I've been part of a tremendous team, an incredible group of players and staff."

Speaking about Euro 2025 triumph, she added: "I think we need to be the best prepared, we need to be our best, but what made an absolute difference was that we were the best bonded team and we were so together."

Ellie Kildunne, Rory McIlroy and Lando Norris are in the final three of the SPOTY awards.

It means that Hannah Hampton, Luke Littler and Chloe Kelly are now out of contention for the award.

The votes for Sports Personality of the Year have now been frozen, with a three name shortlist of finalists set to be announced!

Armand Duplantis is the 2025 BBC World Sports Star. Speaking via a video message, the athlete said: "I just want to say thank you so much to the BBC for giving me Sports Star of the Year Award. Super honoured, super appreciative of this. Wish I was there with you guys to have a pint, celebrate, hopefully next year. So thank you guys again, see you soon."

Speaking about her game Kildunne said: "I'm so scared of getting tackled, I run around people cause I'm trying to avoid it most of the time. But I also love the freedom to see what's in front of me, have the belief of my team-mates and coaches around me and just go after it full throttle."

Speaking about a difficult year after losing her grandfather ahead of Euro 2025, Hampton said: "Obviously losing my grandfather on the eve of the tournament was hard. He was my rock, he was the one who we sat down and wanted the dream together. So I went out there and tried to make him proud and always carried him every single minute of those games."

Speaking with Gabby Logan what sparked a career turnaround, Kelly said: "That young girl with a dream to play football. I think for me, that young girl inside of me, why did I start the game? Because I loved it, and falling back in love with the game when Arsenal came calling. I'm grateful for that club and I'm grateful for Sarina [Wiegman] for allowing me to showcase my ability. But the girls that I stand side-by-side with on the pitch, I'm so grateful for them because we don't see that success without one another."

The trio of Lionesses have spoken about this summer's success at Euro 2025.

Bronze said: "It was difficult a couple of years ago, but we've got a talented team. They're special players that I'm playing with now, it was back then as well, obviously.

"But yeah, the dynamics of women's football in England, the support, everything, the league has just gone from another level every single year. The talent's producing, we're getting better and better, and now these have just to to win it another three, four times."

Luke Littler has tuned in live from St Helens, as he continues to practice for the ongoing PDC World Championship.

Speaking about his endeavours, he said: "There's a few titles on the list that I've not ticked off yet so I'll go chasing next year. But at the minute it's all focus for the World Darts Championship."

A number of celebrities and fellow athletes have shared touching messages to Henry in the wake of his award, including KSI, David Beckham, Jack Whitehall and Dermot O'Leary.

Thierry Henry has won the Lifetime Achievement award for his endeavours in the world of football with Arsenal and France, among others.

Speaking after receiving his trophy, Henry said: "I want to say thank you to everyone that believed in me, and also the ones who didn't believe in me - trust me the list is long, we won't have time for that.

"I also want to thank my dad, my mum, my two brothers Willy and Dimitri for the continuous support, love you so much. And then Andrea, thank you for coping with me and my BS - we have to be polite on the BBC."

Rory McIlroy is up for the 2025 Sports Personality of the Year award, and has made his way out to speak with Clare Balding.

When asked about his Career Grand Slam win at the Masters in April, he said: "I think it's, as Lando said in his piece, I didn't make it easy on myself. I think when you want something so much, the obstacle becomes yourself.

"I've had my chances at Augusta, I've been trying for 14 or 15 years to get that done. And I think when you go through the heartbreaks, and when you go through everything that I went through - even the way it all finished in April - it just made it even sweeter."

The Englishman was a major player in Luke Donald's Ryder Cup-winning team at Bethpage Black this year.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, he said: "I try and be the best team-mate I can possibly be. I feel so lucky and blessed, like I say, to be a part of that team."

Voting for the BBC's Team of the Year is now closed. The winner will be announced in due course.

The Formula 1 champion is not at this evening's awards ceremony, but tapped into Salford's MediaCityUk from a video feed to speak about his achievements on the grid this season.

He said: "We made it exciting for you, so I hope you all enjoyed it. But that also made it a little bit sweeter and even more worth it."

Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe, the fathers of two young girls killed in Southport last year, ran the 2025 London marathon in a bid to raise funds in their daughters' honour.

They receive the prestigious Helen Rollason Award for their efforts.

Three teams are in contention for the BBC SPOTY Team of the Year in the England Lionesses, the English Red Roses and the European Ryder Cup team.

Voting closes for the TOTY in around 20 minutes or so.

Voting is now open for the 2025 Sports Personality of the year.

You can vote for your winner, here.

Coverage is now starting for the 2025 Sports Personality of the Year awards.

Stay tuned for all of the latest news and updates from Salford's MediaCityUK...

The 2025 Sports Personality of the Year awards are set to take place at Salford's MediaCityUK at 7pm this evening, meaning there is less than an hour until the ceremony gets underway.

Stay tuned for all of the latest updates!

Ronnie O'Sullivan may one day go down as one of the most deserving BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominees to have never got his hands on the trophy. And snooker legend Steve Davis would certainly be inclined to think so, given his past comments on the baize icon.

'The Rocket' has been shortlisted for the prize on multiple occasions in the past, including after his World Championship wins in 2020 and 2022. And yet O'Sullivan has always come off second best against those involved in higher-profile sports. It wouldn't have been the case had six-time world champion Davis got his way, however. Following O'Sullivan's nomination in 2022, 'Nugget' took to social media to express support for the cue magician and put him on a pedestal of mammoth proportions.

Unlike in previous years, O'Sullivan is not one of the six names in contention for this year's award, with the winner being announced on Thursday evening. However, fans are reminded of Davis' defence while teeing up his peer's most recent bid for the crown.

Read the full story here.

Gabby Logan was told "go home and don't come back" by a former ITV boss after being removed from World Cup hosting duties. The 52-year-old will take centre stage, presenting the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards on Thursday evening. Logan is amongst the most experienced presenters in the business, having fronted coverage of the Olympics, the Six Nations and the Euros.

She has also been a mainstay of the BBC's SPOTY coverage and will resume her role alongside Clare Balding and Alex Scott this year. However, before her now legendary career with the BBC began, she feared it was finished when she was dropped from covering a World Cup at ITV by a boss who hadn't taken to her.

Read the full story here.

Lionesses star Hannah Hampton is amongst the contenders to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year tonight (Thursday). The England shot-stopper will discover her destiny during the ceremony, with live public voting taking place throughout the awards show.

Hampton secured her place as one of six nominees following her crucial role in the Lionesses' Euro 2025 success. The 25-year-old proved the saviour in two penalty shoot-outs during the competition, making two vital stops against Spain in the final as Sarina Wiegman's team defended their crown.

The Chelsea stopper established herself as England's first-choice goalkeeper before the Euros, prompting Mary Earps' surprising international retirement ahead of the tournament. Hampton had already demonstrated her calibre by helping steer Chelsea to a domestic treble last season, claiming the Women's Super League, FA Cup and League Cup.

She received the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world's finest goalkeeper, at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in September. Nevertheless, she faces a challenge from fellow Lioness Chloe Kelly for the SPOTY crown.

Read the full story here.

Rory McIlroy will be present at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony as he stands as the frontrunner to claim the accolade. However, the 36-year-old seems to have reversed his earlier position that the honour is merely a "popularity contest."

McIlroy savoured an extraordinary 12 months. In April, he narrowly defeated Justin Rose in a thrilling play-off at the Masters, capturing the major for the first time and achieving a career Grand Slam. This triumph was accompanied by several victories on the PGA Tour and another prominent success at the Ryder Cup in September, where Team Europe secured a win on American territory. Following these achievements, McIlroy features amongst six contenders and emerges as the bookmakers' choice to claim SPOTY. Him attending the ceremony represents a significant shift from his earlier position.

Read the full story here.

Luke Littler has backed Lando Norris to win this year's Sport Personality of the Year award following the racing driver’s maiden title win.

“I think Lando will win,” the darts star explained. “I think I've only missed out on four Majors this year. So if I won them, do I win it? But good luck to whoever's going to win it.”

The SPOTY awards ceremony will take place at MediaCity in Salford. It will be hosted by Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony will get underway at 7pm this evening and will run until 9pm.

Rory McIlroy is the favourite to land the main prize this evening. Here are the latest odds ahead of the event:

Rory McIlroy | 8/13

Lando Norris | 10/3

Chloe Kelly | 9/2

Luke Littler | 25/1

Ellie Kildunne | 40/1

Hannah Hampton | 66/1

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is due to be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at tonight’s ceremony.

The Frenchman, 48, bagged 228 goals and 101 assists in 377 appearances for the Gunners and won the Premier League Golden Boot a joint record four time.

He retired from football in 2014 and has since worked as a manager and a pundit.

Luke Littler is set to snub tonight’s SPOTY awards ceremony. The 18-year-old finished second to Keely Hodgkinson last year but is only the fourth favourite to win the prize this time round.

And after overcoming Darius Labanauskas in his opening match at the World Darts Championship, the Nuke revealed: “'No, I'm not going to it.

“I think they (the BBC) know. I think obviously the people in the top three on the betting odds will obviously go there.”

Good afternoon and welcome to the Express Sport live blog ahead of this evening’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. We’ll have live coverage of the event throughout the day, so stay tuned for updates.