"He was getting bullied in school and I put him into a private school" – Top darts player shares harrowing account of how far online hate can go
PDCTuesday, 01 September 2026 at 08:55
Stephen Bunting has been through a lot in his career. He rose from BDO world champion before its demise to a mainstay among the PDC elite. Yet “The Bullet” recently faced a very different battle. A row over his nickname “The people’s champion” spiralled out of control and even affected his fourteen-year-old son Tobias.
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Bunting became world champion at the BDO in 2014. Not long after, he switched to the PDC, where the very best were already competing. The Englishman adapted quickly and climbed to become one of the stronger players on tour. Bunting now has two World Darts Championship semi-finals to his name.
His popularity is not down to results alone. Over the past years, Bunting has built a strong bond with darts fans. He is active on social media, regularly makes humorous videos, and is known for his love of karaoke. His walk-on has also become iconic.
When “Titanium” by David Guetta and Sia hits the speakers, the crowd knows what’s coming. Bunting cups a hand to his ear and invites the fans to sing along. The whole arena joins in with enthusiasm. It earned him the British media nickname “The people’s champion.”
Recognisable for many supporters
That label, many fans felt, suited Bunting perfectly. The Englishman is from Liverpool, loves his local football club, and presents himself as an ordinary man who reached the top of darts through hard work. He has never had the image of an outspoken sports star, and that made him relatable for many supporters.
Yet Bunting faced a wave of criticism when he started using the nickname himself. During a media moment around the last Worlds, he called himself “The people’s champion.” Some darts fans took that badly. Critics argued a nickname like that should be bestowed by the public, and a player should not call himself that.
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Other things were then used against Bunting. He sold cuddly toys with his own face on his website. The price tag of over forty euros also drew ridicule on social media.
Bunting now looks back on it differently. Speaking to Oche180, he stresses he never intended to put himself above other players. "
“When you come off a game and you are in the heat of the moment. Obviously, Sky and ITV were using that. I won’t say it, what it is. They were using that and I went off the back of that. It was taken well out of context and I got a lot of stick for that.”
Stephen Bunting is the current world number nine
According to Bunting, the remark also arose during a chat about his opponent Nitin Kumar. "I think sometimes you have to think a tiny bit before you say it. I think one of the questions leading up to that was something like Nitin Kumar has got a massive fanbase.
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“So, I was just batting that back to whoever asked that question. I was literally just saying I have a big following myself.
Family dragged into online hate
For Bunting, it didn’t stop at criticism and nasty messages aimed at him. ““It was not just me who got stick. It was members of my family which hurt more than anything,” the Englishman says.
The fallout even reached his son Tobi, now fourteen. The teenager was bullied at school because of his father’s fame. For Bunting, that was a clear sign the situation had gone far too far. "
“Tobi is always protected. He was getting bullied in school and I put him into a private school to help him with that. He is flourishing even more now. He is such a lovely boy. Some of the stick he got was through my channel."
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The fact his son had to move schools clearly left a mark on Bunting. In recent years he has done everything to be approachable and popular with fans. His humour, karaoke turns, and exuberant interaction with the crowd have earned him a special place in darts.
At the same time, Bunting has learned that visibility on social media has a dark side. A seemingly harmless nickname turned into a talking point, and ultimately even his family got caught up in it.
On stage, Bunting remains the same crowd favourite who gets fans singing to “Titanium.” Away from the oche, however, his priority is clear: protecting his family. Tobi’s story shows how online criticism can go far beyond a few nasty messages after a match. For Bunting, the line is crossed the moment his family is involved.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
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