Deta Hedman on having more official titles than Phil Taylor: "If I had the money Phil Taylor had then I'd be proper, proper happy!"

Deta Hedman survived a scare against Aletta Wajer in her opening match at the 2023 WDF World Championship but eventually managed to progress at Lakeside 2-1.

"At the end of the day, a win a win is a win you know, and I'm happy with that," Hedman reflected in her post-match interview. "One of the things with being a seed, the non-seeds get a chance to have a practice on the stage and when you're going up there for the first time, it does give you that feeling of 'God I've got to try a little bit harder'."

Hedman has performed at Lakeside many times in the past, although she has mixed memories. "What people are forgetting is I've had some awful awful defeats, where I've won no legs like last year. But, I've also made three finals and I've also got through a few times to quarterfinals or semis. So at the end of the day darts is darts."

"If I can beat one of the top girls these days, I'll take that. But I mean my saying is 'it is what it is' and there's not a lot more I can say. Just want to put on a decent show but at the end of the day as long as I come off with a win, who cares."

Hedman has won just about everything there is to win in her impressive career other than the World Championship, she even has more official titles to her name than Phil Taylor. "I tell you what if I had the money Phil Taylor had then I'd be proper, proper happy! Because I'm still having to work," she laughs. "I mean, I've been a working nights 26 years for Royal Mail and in the early days I used to do days. So yeah, I've always had a full-time job and the funny thing is, when I say to somebody I've always had a full-time job, they go 'Really? We thought darts was your job!"