Tyson Fury has apologised for his comments about homosexuality and women while appearing on stage at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year awards.

The 27-year-old world heavyweight boxing champion's inclusion on the shortlist for the prestigious title was met with controversy, with more than 130,000 people signing a petition to have him removed and equal rights protestors picketing the ceremony at Belfast's SSE Arena tonight.

Asked by awards host Gary Lineker about the media storm that greeted his nomination, Fury replied: "I've said a lot of stuff in the past, and none of it's with intentions to hurt anybody. It's all about tongue-in-cheek and it's all fun and games for me.

"I'm not really a serious type of person, everything's happy-go-lucky with Tyson Fury.

"If I said anything in the past that's hurt anybody, I apologise to anybody who's been hurt out there. It's not my intention to do that."

In an interview with the Daily Mail in November, Fury had equated homosexuality with paedophilia and declared that a woman's best place was "on her back".