"The most important thing is that I want to be a good father again" – Michael van Gerwen opens up on divorce and his father's illness

For Michael van Gerwen, 2025 was a year marked by both sporting and personal low points. The Dutchman suffered a major blow in his private life early this year when his marriage to ex-wife Daphne fell apart. The arrangements for caring for their two children and finalising the divorce also showed on the dartboard. His results were not what you would expect from Van Gerwen over the past year, which is hardly surprising when you have so much on your mind.

"That has done a lot to me as a person," MVG said recently on the Darts Draait Door podcast, hosted in part by his good friend Vincent van der Voort. The three-time world champion appears on the podcast just before the start of the 2026 World Darts Championship, where he looks back on what he describes as "the toughest year of my life".

Not everyone has kept track of all the changes in his life, but the most important thing, including for the children, is that the divorce has now been finalised. "We [he and Daphne] have good agreements and contact about the children. That is the most important thing, also for the future of the children. We both have a new life and we have to move forward with that."

The Dutchman has to search for the right balance, and that does not always come easily. On top of that, it does not help that his father is currently seriously ill. "All of that has a big impact on me. This was without question the toughest year of my life. But I cannot just stand still and dwell on it all the time, I have to keep going. Trying to give things a place, and that comes with ups and downs. I have to do it all alone, nobody can help me with this. It needs time and sometimes more time than I allow myself. I have to accept that."

Even so, his “new life” is gradually taking shape. And Van Gerwen is determined to produce strong performances on the oche again. "I want to perform well again. And to be a good father, that is the most important thing. Finding the balance is getting better and better. But it is not always entirely good or calm. You deal with children and emotions. Giving that a place now and then is not easy."

His daughter Zoe has already said that she would like to come with him to England again. "She loves it. She is crazier about my darts than Mike. She already asked when she could come again and when I was going to win a prize for her again." Van Gerwen begins his nineteenth World Championship appearance on Thursday evening, 18 December. In the first round he will face Japan’s Mitsuhiko Tatsunami.