Darts world champion Luke Humphries opens up on anxiety, boredom and depression

While Luke Littler’s unfathomably rapid rise more easily enchants the heart and imagination, Luke Humphries’ tale is undoubtedly more inspirational. Here is a player who almost quit darts after suffering an anxiety attack mid-match to forfeit a three-set lead to James Wade at the 2019 German Open. Here is an athlete who lost four stone in a sustainable and healthy way to improve both his life and his game.

Here is a man who has gone from felting roofs to world No 1 and world champion in five years. Here is the winner of four of the past five TV majors, on an imperious streak only ever matched by Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. Littler admitted he found every game before the final remarkably easy. Nothing has been easy for Humphries.

The 28-year-old has been admirably candid about his anxiety and depression. Darts is a psychological trial to begin with, the sort of game that thrives on doubt and pressure and inciting pain, long before you bring added mental health conditions into the equation.

“There was a time in my life when I was really depressed,” he said after winning the Sid Waddell trophy for the first time. “I didn’t think this was going to be it for me. I couldn’t do it up on the big stage. I went through a lot of problems.

“There were tough times, times when I questioned whether I could do this or be a part of this world because I struggled with anxiety. I’ve worked hard to overcome things, I had my own battles to face, but I took it head on.”

Alongside the support of his parents and girlfriend, Humphries has gone through cognitive behavioural therapy to understand how to protect and harness his mind. He’s learned to find stillness amid the chaos, and now derives confidence from his experiences. He believes he can beat his own demons, so he believes he can beat anyone else.

“I faced anxiety tonight when I got here – it’s a massive spectacle. The anxiety never leaves you, but I managed to battle through the whole lot of it. When I was 4-2 down, it crept in, because you feel like the game’s against you. I was just trying to stick in there.

“The way I’ve handled the pressure of the last few months is mind-boggling to me. There’s been so many times I’ve been under the cosh. A lot of people probably would have lost that game, but every major I’ve won I’ve managed to overcome adversity.

“If I could give anything from this, I would love that if there’s anyone out there, having that bit of a struggle, to look at what I’ve done. I’ve managed to turn my life around, I’ve managed to battle it.”

Humphries has made £1.15m in the past year, more than three times second-ranked Rob Cross, meaning he’s very unlikely to lose his world No 1 spot until the end of 2025 at least. He’s now got the Premier League to come, in which the winner makes £275,000, plus £10,000 for winning any of the 16 individual weeks.

He was a shock omission from the eight-man series last year, but credits the PDC with making the right decision: “It allowed me to go and do what I did over the past three months. If I didn’t do well in the Premier League it might have scarred me. I might not have done the things I’ve achieved this year.”

Humphries’ semi-final winning average of 108 was the tenth-highest in any PDC World Championship game, his 103.67 in the last game the eighth-highest of any final. This is one of the highest peaks any dartist has ever reached.

Does he believe he could have done it had he not pledged to lose four pounds a week on his exercise bike during the Covid-19 pandemic? “I don’t think so. That was key to my upturn in form. When I lost all the weight, it allowed me to become this more elite player. Three months after doing it, I was UK Open finalist.

“That was the first real thing that allowed me to believe I’d turned my life and my career around. It was definitely the catalyst to all the success I have now.”

The most common criticism of Humphries now is that he’s the one thing no-one ever wants to be – boring. On stage, he works hard to keep himself level, knowing dopamine or adrenalin spikes can trigger anxiety. There are no real celebrations or externally-transmitted emotions. He attempts to remain totally focussed throughout each game.

“I’m not a boring person,” he explains. “I know loads of people seem to say it on social media, but what you see on stage is not the person you see in real life. The comments do not affect me. People can say whatever they want to say – everyone’s entitled to an opinion.

“I’m the one that’s doing all the hard work and if I were to create a fake persona, do things that weren’t in my personality, I probably wouldn’t be doing the things I do. That’s the great thing about darts, there’s so many different personalities. A lot of them come out on stage, mine comes out behind the stage.

“I celebrated when I was 2-1 up, then look what happened – I was rubbish. That’s why I like to keep that laser focus. Worry about winning the game first, that’s the most important thing.”

What’s next for the new world champion? In the short term, a return to his hometown of Newbury, where he plans to put some of his £500,000 winnings behind the bar for the friends, coaches and mentors who have aided and supported his career.

Humphries is a lifelong Leeds United fan – Luke stands for L(eeds) U(nited) K(ings) of E(urope) – and the club have offered to host a parade round Elland Road in his honour.

“That would make me feel as good as winning the trophy,” he explained. “I’ve watched and supported my beloved Leeds since I was three or four years old. Going round a parade and seeing all those Leeds fans shouting, it’ll just be a very emotional moment.”

Humphries appears keenly aware of both the challenges and responsibilities attached to being a world champion. He will be expected to play in every European tour game, alongside a slew of media and commercial duties.

But for now, he has earned the right to enjoy himself. “It’s a fulfilling feeling, such an incredible feeling,” he said immediately after winning. “All of a sudden you just feel like your life is complete. It’s the thing I’ve been searching for for the last six or seven years.”