Keely Hodgkinson dazzles in black dress as she looks to beat Luke Littler to BBC SPOTY award

Hodgkinson had previously won silver in Tokyo four years ago.

But she produced a memorable display back in the summer as she won the first gold medal of her Olympics career.

Hodgkinson is the favourite to win the BBC SPOTY award tonight as a result her exploits in France, despite Littler also being in the mix.

And the Team GB hero turned up to the bash wearing a stunning black outfit.

Hodkinson's back was exposed as she wore the dress, with the 22-year-old smiling for the cameras as photographs were taken.

Other big names from the world have descended on Salford for the ceremony, which is taking place on a Tuesday - rather than a Sunday - in a break of tradition.

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Sir Chris Hoy, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, looked dapper alongside wife Sarra Kemp.

Nathan Maguire and Hannah Cockroft also beamed, while Paddy McGuiness was happy to have his photograph taken on the red carpet.

Iconic presenter Ade Adepitan opted for a purple suit, which perfectly mirrored the background behind him.

And Littler looked smart in a suit, with the darts star attending the event just days before his World Darts Championship opener.

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Meanwhile, opening up before tonight's big event, Hodkinson opened up on her life after becoming Olympic 800 metres champion.

And she revealed she was left stunned after fashion icon Giorgio Armany called her 'beautiful' earlier in the year.

“The craziest thing that has happened to me? I’m going to say when I met Giorgio Armani," she said.

“He came over to me and put his hand on my cheek and called me ‘Bella’ (pretty in English). Which I thought was really nice.

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“He’s just a little man. I met him in Milan at Fashion Week briefly. He can’t speak English but he’s quite into his sport. He’s a lot older now, he’s 90 years old, but he looks great.

“He’s still heavily involved in his work. That was a really cool moment.”

The athlete also revealed she was proud of everything she's achieved this year, adding: “If I go back to the beginning of the year when I started training, it didn’t go my way at all.

“I spent a couple of months out with injury. But I just kept trusting the process and training got better.

“About a month out, I realised I was in really good shape.

“It’s the first time in a year where I’ve actually achieved everything I’ve set out to achieve on the outdoor track, which is quite special and doesn’t happen very often.”