Darts star Stephen Bunting has opened up about his struggles in the sport - admitting he nearly hung up his arrows after feeling like he was being "laughed at".
The reigning Masters Champion made the candid confession on William Hill 's new YouTube show, Club 501, revealing that he considered walking away during a three-year winless streak at the World Championship. He also credits seeing a sports psychologist as the big turning point in his career.
Speaking to host and commentator Wayne Mardle on the YouTube show, Liverpool-born Bunting confessed: "Five or six years ago I was thinking about just walking away from darts." The former BDO World Masters champ also shared his feelings of humiliation when stepping up to the oche, reports the Daily Star.
"I was walking into venues feeling like people were laughing at me and I just didn't want to be there anymore," Bunting admitted. He also revealed that his mental health struggles were not only affecting his performance but also his family life, saying: "My form was so bad and I was going home and taking it out on my family. I needed to do something."
'The Bullet' knew he had to tackle his issues head-on and sought professional help. "I went to see a sports psychologist and he trained my brain to think about the positives, because every time I was playing darts it was all negative," the former BDO title holder explained.
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Bunting credits a significant part of his resurgence to working with a sports psychologist, adding: "That was a massive help. I have progressed since then and I'm now seeing a hypnotherapist as well which is really helping and it's taken my game to another level."
It's been a standout year for Bunting so far. At the World Championship he impressively made it to the fourth round, defeating Ryan Joyce and Florian Hempel before being stopped by Michael van Gerwen in a whitewash defeat.
Bunting in action back in 2014 (Corbis/Popperfoto via Getty Images)But his crowning achievement came when he clinched his first PDC major title. In a thrilling run at the Masters, Bunting overcame Ross Smith 6-5, then took down reigning world champion Luke Humphries 10-7, and demolished Peter Wright 1-2 in the quarters.
He continued his formidable form by beating Nathan Aspinall in the semi-finals and ultimately triumphed by exacting a measure of revenge on Van Gerwen, winning 11-7 in the final.
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