Smith candid on life growing up and making sacrifices for darts: "You get called boring but they're sat in jail now"

Michael Smith spoke to Dan Dawson as part of the latest episode of The Darts Show podcast and was candid on his upbringing and how it nearly turned into a life of crime growing up in poverty and around those who have now spent time in jail.

"From an outsider like yourself looking in you'd think (shudders), a bit rough that. I grew up on Cherry Tree Drive which wasn't one of the best places but me and all the boys would go out playing man hunt, hide and seek, curby, football. Anything you name it," he said on The Darts Show podcast.

"Our days would comprise of watching the police riot vans go straight the houses, straight to the top and it was every other day. That was our fun just watching these houses being raided."

But also how he made a sacrifice to not go down that path which has now paid off with the ultimate achievement of winning the World Championship.

"13, 14 years old when I started playing, I made a sacrifice where I stayed in every single day to play darts. You get called boring, I was staying in and not doing what I should've been doing but they're sat in jail now and I'm sat here doing an interview as World Champion. So I think I made the correct decision, my life could be totally different."

"I've had a few that have sadly took their own lives. I've got some that are in jail and family members who are there as well. It's not the best but it's where you're from."