"When people make comments on social media, they don’t realise what you’re going through" - Four top darters open up for Mental Health Awareness Week

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Sky Sports have teamed up with four darting stars on their struggles with mental health in the documentary 'Beyond the Oche'.

Luke Humphries, reigning world champion, has worked hard in recent years to improve his mental strength after suffering with anxiety in the past. "I’m enjoying playing and I’m enjoying going home and spending time with my family," he said honestly. “A few years ago I was feeling so anxious that I felt it was never going to work for me, so it was really important that I went out and spoke to someone, and opened up to my family."

“When you feel there’s no way out, it can be hard to look to the future, but I went through Cognitive behavioural therapy which definitely helped – you find the source of where the problem is coming from," Humphries continues. “I feel like when you reach the top everybody wants to knock you down, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’ve achieved everything I’ve done by being me. I used to get quite down on myself after a bad result, but I feel like I’m a lot stronger now, and I don’t listen to that negativity.”

Another man who has always been open and honest about his struggles over the years, is current world number 4 and multiple major winner, Nathan Aspinall. “In any professional sport you have your ups and downs, and it can be very lonely as a darts player,” he admits. “I had a really bad moment in Brighton during the Premier League last year. Nobody knows how dark a place I was in at that time."

“I sought help and spoke to a sports psychologist. He’s worked absolute wonders for me and has almost reprogrammed my head to focus on the ups rather than downs," Aspinall continues. “I’ve had so much support from my family, and all of the things I’ve gone through over the last four or five years has made me so much stronger, it’s unbelievable.”

Michael Smith lost repeated major finals earlier in his career. As such, 'BullyBoy' needed incredible to keep coming back for and the Englishman has since been rewarded with multiple majors, including the 2023 World Darts Championship title.

“I was trying to overcome those demons by myself, and that was the hardest thing I had to overcome,” revealed the St Helens star. “When I lost to Peter Wright in my second [World Championship final], I really questioned myself. Would I ever get another chance?"

“Some days you have your dark days, but you build your strength up, you build your positivity up and your mind gets stronger, and that’s how I overcame my heartache. I kept believing," he explains. “When people make comments on social media, they don’t realise what you’re going through. You could have a lot of demons in the back of your head and they’re just fuelling that fire. They need to realise that we’re still human beings that are doing a job; we’re just doing something we love.”

Last up was Peter Wright, one of the elder statesmen of the PDC. The 54-year-old Scot is known for being eccentric on stage, but that's not who he really is. “Away from the game, the confidence level in me is not great to be honest,” explains the Scot. “Peter Wright is a very shy person, but when he becomes Snakebite, he becomes this really confident guy. Dressing up gives me a lot of confidence; you almost feel like a superhero! It makes you feel good inside. It might not work for other people, but it works for me."

“Darts can be a really cruel game; when you’re up there under the limelight it can be really hard," he concludes. “When I won my first World Championship, it was like a great big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was a magical feeling, and it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile.”