Who is Emma Paton: The Queen of the Alexandra Palace bringing darts coverage to life

Emma Paton’s rise to becoming one of the most familiar faces on Sky Sports is the kind of career story that blends hard work, charm, and a bit of luck. If you watch darts, there’s a good chance you’ve seen her smiling at the desk, chatting with the pros, or holding the crowd’s attention during tense moments. But her journey didn’t start with a microphone in her hand, it began on the athletics track.

Growing up in Surrey, Emma was a gifted 400m runner, competing at national level. Sport was her world, and she seemed set for a future on the track, however she dropped that for journalism, finding another way into the sports world. She studied Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University and followed it with a master’s in Sports Journalism at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, swapping spikes for scripts but keeping her love for sport front and centre.

Her Sky Sports story started in 2012, working behind the scenes as a journalist and producer. She learned the ropes in the newsroom, crafting stories and covering everything from football to tennis, before the call came to step in front of the camera. Around 2019, she became a full-time presenter, and it didn’t take long for her to prove she could handle almost anything live TV could throw at her. Transfer Deadline Day, US Open tennis, NFL, WWE, esports, all part of her growing repertoire.

Then came darts. In 2022, Emma took over from Laura Woods as Sky’s lead presenter for the World Darts Championship, and fans quickly warmed to her. She has a knack for putting players at ease and making big moments feel personal, whether she’s talking to a world champion or a debutant just finding their feet. Crowds have even been known to cheer when she appears on the arena’s big screen, something that happened in style during Premier League Darts in Rotterdam in 2025.

Away from the cameras, Emma isn’t one to shout about her private life. She’s believed to be in a long-term relationship with a man named Hannibal, and while she occasionally shares glimpses of her life on Instagram, most of her feed is dedicated to work, sport, and the odd behind-the-scenes moment from the studio. With hundreds of thousands of followers, she strikes that tricky balance of being relatable without oversharing.

Emma’s also passionate about opening doors for others. She’s spoken about encouraging more women into sports journalism, offering advice and mentorship where she can. It’s clear she sees her success not just as a personal achievement but as a platform to inspire.

From her days pounding the track to her seat at the heart of Sky’s sports coverage, Emma Paton has carved out a career built on talent, resilience, and the ability to connect with people. Whether she’s covering a tense darts final or laughing through a lighter moment with her pundits, she’s made herself part of the fabric of British sports broadcasting and it feels like she’s just getting started.