‘It was very emotional’ – Stephen Bunting reveals why he broke down in tears on stage during Premier League Darts debut

STEPHEN BUNTING admitted he started CRYING on stage before his opening Premier League clash.

The World No.5 also believes more money will mean a bigger focus on mental health for darts players.

Stephen Bunting, 39, has previously revealed that seeing a sports psychologist turned his career around after feeling like he wanted to quit just six years ago.

On the first night in Belfast, he said: “It was very emotional. I expected it to be good but I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.

“Just the whole crowd all supporting me and getting behind me. It welled me up when I got on stage and the tears started flowing.

“It has been a 10-year journey to get back into the Premier League, so there were a lot of emotions running high anyway and it just spilled over a bit.

“The nerves were still there in the game and unfortunately I didn’t get a win.

“Obviously the first week there were no expectations and it was just getting back into the big venues with big crowds and getting used to that again.

“Now that I have had that monkey off my back, I am just really looking forward to the next few weeks.”

‘The Bullet’ visited the Men’s Shed in Govan, Glasgow prior to his Premier League night at the OVO Hydro and paid tribute to the association that helps with community workshops.

He revealed: “It’s massive to be honest. I know single-handedly, I’ve been in the situation myself where you feel down in the dumps and you feel you can’t speak to people.

“Obviously having a centre like this (Men’s Shed) where people can come to and open up about anything really.

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“Get involved with the sports like darts and pool, just take your mind off stuff, talk about stuff and open up.

“I think it’s really important to be able to do that and take that weight off your shoulders.

“I think different players deal with it in a different way. Look at Luke Littler the way he’s bounced on the scene. He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world at the minute.

“In the future, the money, it changes people. People who earn a lot of money become selfish.

“For me, regardless of how much money I win, it’s about trying to look after my family. I’ve got a great team behind me.

“It’s about pushing forward. I’ve not got many years left ahead of me in my career.

“While the money is there and while I’m playing well, I will take as much money as I can.”

Bunting also believes that teen sensation Littler will face his own challenges with a target on his back.

He added: “He gets a million questions a day from people saying ‘how good is he’. Obviously he’s 18 now, he’s a man now.

“He’s got to stand on his own two feet, he doesn’t need people behind him anymore. His darts will have to do the talking.

“He’s going to have ups and downs in his career, no doubt. He’s going to have doubters and he’s going to have believers.

“But if he keeps doing what he’s doing, I’m sure he’ll have a really successful career.”

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