"I don't realize myself that I'm a cult figure on social media" - Andrew Gilding doesn't understand why he's so popular

Andrew Gilding may still dream of defending his title at the UK Open. The 53-year-old Englishman was too strong for Josh Payne in the fourth round 10-7.

Gilding won last year's tournament by defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final. "I was pretty nervous," Gilding said. "It is a new experience for me. I've never won a major before and certainly not defended one before."

Gilding hasn't been in the best of form recently and admitted he's unsure how his darts will fare this weekend. "I don't feel I've played that well in the run up to this competition. Last year I had a massive win against Gary Anderson just before the UK Open, so I knew I was playing alright. This year I've won one game on the ProTour and that's it."

Gilding has become a cult figure on social media after his UK Open title. "I don't realize that at all myself," he says. "I'm not actually on social media so I hardly get any of it. It does surprise me why I'm so popular. "I actually don't like the spotlight. Let me quietly go through the tournament as an outsider, that role suits me best."

Car

Gilding earned £110,000 from his final victory last year. "I didn't do that much special with that prize money. I did buy a new car, well, actually a used car. One with a good stereo, though," he laughed.