Thornton fell out of love with the game at times in PDC: “It becomes a chore instead of enjoying it”

Robert Thornton sealed World Seniors Darts Championship glory this past weekend and said that he owes it to his wife to keep him in high spirits and motivated to seal it back to back.

"Last year when I won it my wife said that's her job done, she had made me a world champion," he told BBC Scotland.

“My wife gives me the pep talks when I need them. It has just been amazing.”

This also meant he didn’t go to Q-School and he admitted the amount of travelling also plays a huge part.

"The four or five days at Q school is gruelling. If you do manage to get through, you are not getting a break because straightaway you're playing Europeans and pro tours, so the seniors for me is a lot better. I am enjoying my darts again.

"When I first started the PDC I was the only person to do every tournament that they ran, even the floor tournaments.

"But it takes its toll, it becomes a chore instead of enjoying it, so I kind of fell out of love with it for a long time. Then I started practising again and my wife said, 'look, you are still good enough to play so just enjoy it first'.

"To win the World Seniors back to back, I owe it to my family; they keep me going."