Tyson Fury came very high in the SPOTY voting despite recent controversies

Tyson Fury caused a storm of controversy in the run up to the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Comments about homosexuality and women before the annual TV awards led to many people calling for the new world heavyweight champion to be struck from the shortlist. A huge petition was started for the BBC to drop him from the running and there were even protests on the night. The 6ft 9in fighter did apologise on the night for any offence caused by comments. But it certainly didn't stop a sizeable portion of the British public voting for the outspoken Mancunian on the night. Davis Cup hero Andy Murray won by a large margin on the night - but out of 12 hopefuls, Fury didn't fare badly at all. He finished fourth and beat off competition from stars including racing driver Lewis Hamilton, Tour de France hero Chris Froome and double Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah. The event's host Gary Lineker shared the voting numbers via his Instagram account.