Gary Lineker admitted he “just f**ked up” after accidentally introducing Ben Stokes as the “main award winner” at the Sports Personality of the Year show – an hour before the cricketer was actually crowned.
Lineker made the gaffe as he welcomed cricketers Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan and Stokes onto the stage for a section about England’s World Cup win. He then apologised, drawing laughs from the Aberdeen crowd, and clarified that Stokes was a contender and not the winner.
This led some viewers to complain that the award was a fix, but a BBC spokesperson emphasised that the comment had been made before voting had even opened.
“Gary’s comment was human error and he corrected himself as soon as possible on air,” they said. “It’s impossible for Gary, or anyone else, to know the winner before voting opens.”
