Ashton almost missed World Championship after husband's heart attack

Lisa Ashton starts her second participation at the PDC World Championship Darts on Wednesday evening. However The Lancashire Rose revealed she almost pulled out of the qualification tournament for the PDC's showpiece event.

The Bolton ace qualified for the World Championship in October through the Women's Series. A week prior to this qualifying tournament, Ashton's husband suffered a heart attack.

''Derek said one day he didn't feel well. As the evening went on, he felt worse. He said, 'I feel like I can't breathe. I need an ambulance'. It was a very scary time. The paramedic said, 'I'm sorry Mr Ashton, I'm going to take you into hospital as you're having a massive heart attack'. It was panic stations'', Ashton told The Sun.

''My youngest daughter Danielle and I weren't allowed to go with him. They rushed him straight into the Salford Royal hospital and had operating people already waiting for him. He had three stents put in. We couldn't visit until he came out.''

The four-time world champion was thinking about withdrawing from the PDC Women's Series. ''I was like, I'm not going to go with everything going on. But Derek said, 'I'm fine, the kids are with me, they will look after me'.''

Ashton's husband underwent a second heart operation earlier this month and will have to follow his wife's performance at the World Championship on television.