"I always ensured I had company on journeys. Quite simply, because I was suicidal" - Steve West opens up on mental health struggles away from the oche

Once a PDC Tour Card holder, Steve West's life went downhill very fast as poor mental health left him in a vulnerable position. Now in a better place, he was open and candid about his journey while also discussing the PDPA's role in protecting darters.

No longer on the tour, West has moved on in his life. While it was a bitter blow to lose his Tour Card in 2022, there was a very positive thing that came out around that time. “Around the same time I lost my Tour Card, I met my now wife, Michelle, at the Gibraltar Open," he told Bang on Target. "At least I found happiness in a loving relationship.”

He reached the semi-final that weekend, showing what class he had on the oche. That is all in the past with him having taken up a new profession. “I deliver wheelchair-accessible vehicles," he explained. "Been doing that for just over a year. Just around the same time we moved to Waterlooville in Hampshire.”

While he never won a PDC title, there was still much to be proud of after a very fruitful career on the PDC Tour. The closest he came to silverware was when he reached the final of Players Championship 16 in 2016, losing 6-5 to a rampant Michael van Gerwen.

He was a three-time semi-finalist on the European Tour, all coming in 2018, and has a plethora of TV experience under his belt. He recounted one of his best moments on the big stage.

“Overall, I’ve had a decent career, but I would have liked to have won a PDC title. The biggest thrill came at the 2016 World Grand Prix when I beat Phil Taylor but lost next round to Daryl Gurney.”

He was as high as in the top 20 in the world, regularly featuring and competing with the top talents at the time. However, COVID-19 changed everything. “Dropping from 18th down to forty-odd due to COVID," he admitted. "That pretty much destroyed me. Not just with the ranking slide, but mentally, it made me extremely ill.”

He lost a lot of ranking money, specifically from those European Tour runs, and plummeted down the order. This could have been preventable though. “During that period the rankings should have been frozen. I dropped so far down simply because I couldn’t defend the money I earned.”

West went on to discuss mental health in darts, highlighting the PDPA and the fact that they were not doing enough to help or protect players. “The PDPA doesn’t seem to safeguard players properly," he said. "Mental health support simply wasn’t there in my time. Without the guidance of one of their representatives, Alan [Warriner-Little], things would have been much tougher for me.

He proved this with an example of an anonymous young darter. “There was an incident involving a young lad who was struggling with the financial pressures of his first year on tour. When he sought help, he was simply told that even the top eight don’t come to him with mental health issues before being told to ‘man up’. At that moment in his life, receiving the right help and guidance was absolutely crucial. Sadly, he didn’t."

Fortunately, this story ends on a positive note. “Thankfully, the lad in question is now in a much better place mentally, thanks in no small part to the support of his family and close friends.”

West had been through a lot of trouble personally, and those returned as he decided to have another crack at Q-School in 2025. “The night before, when I checked into the hotel, I felt absolutely fine. Then the next morning, within five minutes of walking into the venue on day one, I was back in a very dark place mentally. It brought everything back. The pressure, the depression.

“But I fulfilled my commitments on the Challenge Tour that year despite saying at the time, when I entered Q School, it was for the very last time. I would never criticise the PDC. But the pressure to win is immense.”

The Englishman was quick to answer this question. “Whilst I was still on tour, I disagreed with first-round losers receiving nothing," he stated. "The PDC want a bunch of professionals, yet many can’t get a full-time job because tournaments take place midweek. If they’re expected to commit professionally, they should be paid something.

“It’s wrong. They should pay everyone for turning up to work. Rather than give those who win only one match £1,250, keep it to what it was recently, a grand, and pay the others £250. Or better still, make the PDPA contribute towards the £16k it would cost. If they’re so concerned about players’ welfare, let them put their hand in their pocket. From my own experience, I still don’t believe the PDPA does enough.”

He was also never a fan of Challenge Tour players being offered a chance to compete on the ProTour. They are chosen from the Challenge Tour Order of Merit following the withdrawals of Tour Card holders.

“I also disliked Challenge Tour players being brought into ProTour events. My view was that they shouldn’t be rewarded by replacing Tour Card holders. They arrive full of confidence and momentum, often beating established professionals. I believe byes would have been a fairer solution.

“At the end of the day, if you are fighting to keep your professional status and lose to a Challenge Tour representative playing with confidence and no pressure, it takes away from the achievement of winning a Tour Card in the first place.”

The PDC Tour can be a lonely place at times. However, once you are off it then that connection with other darters can be extinguished. A couple did stay in contact. “Rob Thornton and Nico [Paul Nicholson] remained close friends. A few others also stayed in touch and supported me through difficult periods. But, on the whole, a lot just didn’t bother, which was hurtful.”

The conversation took an ominous twist following West unveiling prior suicidal thoughts when at his lowest. “At my lowest point, I always ensured I had company on journeys," he said. "So I’d often drive with young Jarred Cole or George Killington."

There was a dark reason behind this. "Quite simply, because I was suicidal. I didn’t trust myself alone because of my mental state and often contemplated simply driving into the central reservation and ending it all. The only reason I didn’t is because I’d have taken their lives too.”

West is now back playing darts but away from the competitive PDC and the pressure that comes with that. “I now mainly play ADC events at Bradmoor Farm, selected WDF tournaments and I’m not overly concerned about qualifying for Lakeside. I just enjoy catching up with friends. I also play the MODUS Super Series on occasion and Vault events on Sundays at my local darts boozer, the Phoenix Club.”

He moved on to the emerging talent witnessed in the youth levels. “However, down there they have an excellent academy. At Phoenix Academy we support young players, but parents have a huge role to play too. They need to keep youngsters grounded and stop them taking the game too seriously too early because they don’t yet need to rely on darts for a living.

"You’ve got Freddie Rowlands, who looks about seven but is actually fifteen. Also, Riley Pinhorne and Leo Howard, who is sixteen and has already represented England. A winning attitude is important, but too much pressure can become destructive.”

Thankfully, the traumatic past he had been through has seemed to be largely gone and he is much more happier and satisfied with what he is doing now. That is also in darts with his confidence and love for the sport back. “MODUS has rebuilt my confidence. The people I’ve met, the relaxed atmosphere and the more personal environment have been fantastic. I genuinely believe the organisation has done an enormous amount for me, both as a player and as a person.”