Fear of heart attack was tipping point for Luke Humphries: "Subconsciously I was anxious about being overweight''

Luke Humphries has revealed that his impressive journey to lose weight began after he felt like he was having a heart attack at the oche. During the corona pandemic, "Cool Hand" lost as much as 25lbs.

That was eventually rewarded with better performances. The culmination of that period came early this year, when Humphries knocked off Luke Littler in the final of the 2024 World Darts Championship, also making him the new world number one.

The Englishman has now won 18 PDC titles and is the dominant force in the sport and he owes part of his success to his focus on fitness. Humphries has lost pounds in recent years after a scary incident during a match against James Wade at the German Darts Open.

"I think it was the European Tour that was the first instance where I first really started to notice something was wrong," he explained in Sky Sports' documentary Game of Throws. "The game against James Wade, I managed to get up there and get into a 5-2 lead, but I couldn't quite focus on what was going on. I'd never felt my heartbeat and then I felt like it was going a bit fast. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. It really scared me. I couldn't wait to get off the stage. I was ready to quit the state I was in.”

That incident proved to be a major turning point for Humphries, who is now preparing like an athlete for major tournaments. He feels his healthier lifestyle has improved his focus at the oche and his confidence. "Subconsciously I was anxious about being overweight, worried about people looking at me, stuff like that. The fatigue, the tiredness, all the negative thoughts," Humphries continued. "It felt like being overweight was the thing that was really stopping me, because I had all this talent, all this ambition, but I couldn't channel it in the right ways. I really had to work hard to get healthier. Since I lost the weight I've had a much clearer mind. That healthier body really gave me a lot more belief. I felt much more confident in myself – just focused.”