"I just felt like my career was going to end" - Luke Humphries opens up about mental health struggles
PDCThursday, 10 September 2026 at 18:11
Luke Humphries has spoken candidly about the mental health struggles he faced earlier in his darts career. The former world champion even considered walking away from the sport altogether, but ultimately chose to seek help and talk about his feelings. A decision that, according to Humphries, changed his life and career.
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Around World Suicide Prevention Day, Humphries partnered with Samaritans and sat down with one of the charity’s volunteers. He looked back on a difficult spell in 2019. The Englishman was in the middle of a long run of PDC events when he suffered a panic attack during a tournament.
The mental strain left Humphries seriously doubting his future as a professional. Instead of quitting, he chose to open up to others about what was happening to him.
“For me, the best thing I ever did was go and see a doctor and go and tell him my feelings. Look who I am now, I’ve achieved so much from doing that and I’m so glad I did," he said to Samaritans.
“The first step is to be open and honest”
His parents also played a key role. Humphries says speaking out about his problems was a crucial first step. “The first step is to be open and honest about it, you know when I told my mum and dad stuff, they were really helpful and stuff, helping me get where I needed to be."
At that point, Humphries could scarcely imagine what success awaited a few years later. He lifted the world title at the 2023/24 World Darts Championship and climbed to world number one.
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“With what I was going through and the way I was feeling, where I thought my career was going to go, to end up with, four or five years later, with nine major titles, and a World Championship and a World Cup and a Matchplay, I would never have thought that was going to happen to me. I thought that would have been impossible because of the way I was feeling at the time.
Luke Humphries opens up about his struggle with mental health
Humphries admits he even thought seriously about stepping away from the professional circuit. “I just felt like my career was going to end and I almost thought about giving it up because the stress was playing on me a lot."
In the end, he chose to push on. “I decided to stick with it and it was the best choice I ever made, to be honest. It really did pay its dividends.”
Anxiety hasn’t disappeared completely
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That doesn’t mean Humphries is now free from anxious moments. The current world number two says he still experiences them from time to time. The big difference is that he now knows how to handle them better. “I still get those moments of anxiety and stuff, but they’re just random,” said the world number two.
Strikingly, those episodes don’t necessarily occur when Humphries is on a big stage in front of hundreds or thousands of fans. “They’re not in moments you would expect, surrounded by hundreds of people. It could just be a random moment when I’m driving in the car by myself and you just get this bout of anxiety.
Humphries has learned not to spiral when those moments arrive.
“It’s strange, but I know how to deal with it better. You don’t spiral, I think that’s the most important thing. That’s why I feel my mental health has been so much better in the last three to four years.”
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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