LUKE HUMPHRIES admits he thought his darts career was over before Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helped him conquer crippling anxiety.
The World No2 suffered panic attacks during matches and feared he would never be able to compete at the highest level after a nightmare night against James Wade in 2019.
Luke Humphries thought his darts career was over in 2019 due to crippling anxiety Credit: Getty Images – Getty
But Humphries conquered his panic attacks with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Credit: 2026 PA Media
Humphries, 31, was 5-2 ahead in a European Tour clash at the German Open before being overwhelmed on stage, eventually suffering a 6-5 defeat as he struggled to breathe and finish the match.
He told the Tops and Tales Podcast: “I guess the feeling of almost winning was the trigger. But I remember this almighty bit of panic coming over me. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.
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“Couldn’t breathe properly. Probably thought you were having a heart attack or something. Then all of a sudden, I’m like, I just can’t wait for this to be over.
“I remember just throwing my darts, so like, with no brain power or vision. I can’t even remember, like, two minutes after walking off, what had just happened, like what I’d done in the last four legs.
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“Like I was just throwing and thinking, I just can’t wait to get off, just hoping that I’d win the legs so I could get off.
“Whereas I wish I could have just had the strength for one leg to be like, give it your all, but I couldn’t.
“I didn’t have the mental strength to do it. I remember walking off the stage after that game, just crying because that was the first time I thought, maybe my career is gone now.”
Humphries then sought professional help and credits CBT with helping him understand and overcome the disorder.
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He added: “I went and sought out help and sort Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT, and that definitely helped me because we found out the roots of why I felt anxiety.
“It was just because I was shy when I was younger and I was overweight, stuff like that.
“When I was overweight, I always felt like people were staring at you. I always felt embarrassed because I felt like everyone was staring at me all the time because I was overweight.
“That’s when, you see, in COVID, I lost all the weight. That was when, after I lost that weight, I improved my anxiety because I started to feel much more confident in the way I looked, the way I felt.
“My mental health got incredibly good because I was exercising a lot, eating healthy. All these things are a recipe for a healthy mind.”
The transformation helped Humphries become one of the biggest names in darts, winning eight major titles, including the 2024 World Championship after beating Luke Littler in the final.
But Cool Hand insists overcoming his anxiety remains his greatest achievement.
He continued: “I mean, beating that anxiety and panic was my biggest victory. That’s still my biggest achievement to this day.
“It’s bigger than the World Championships. It’s bigger than my MBE. It’s bigger than every major tournament I’ve ever won.
“That was my greatest victory, overcoming the anxiety and panic that I once went through, and it was tough moments for anybody as a sportsman.”
Meeting the PM
Humphries’ journey also became a key talking point when he visited 10 Downing Street after lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy.
The Cheshire thrower met the Prime Minister and used the opportunity to highlight the importance of support for those facing similar struggles.
He said: “Obviously, you got to see 10 Downing Street inside and what it’s all like.
“I got to sit in his office and chat with him for 15, 20 minutes. We talked about football a lot because he’s a Southampton fan.
“We were both in the Championship at the same time. So, that was the year that they beat us in the play-off. So, we were talking about that a lot. Talked about darts.
“I was obviously, as you know, with the mental health situation I’ve had in my time, I was speaking to you about that. Asking if there was a lot of funding going into that for people.
“He was assuring me, look, this is something that we’re definitely trying to make even bigger and trying to make sure that people with these sort of conditions, mental health and stuff, are really being looked after.
“Which is important because I wanted to use my platform to try and do it for a positive thing. So, yeah, that was a surreal experience for myself.”
