Stephen Bunting Details Death Threats After World Championship Upset

Stephen Bunting says he and his family received death threats and other online abuse after his shock third-round defeat at the World Darts Championship last December. In an interview published by The Guardian, the world No. 10 described the messages as horrendous and said he still does not understand how the reaction escalated so severely.

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The abuse followed a tournament in which Bunting had described himself as the people's champion after a narrow first-round victory over Sebastian Bialecki. He then beat Nitin Kumar before losing to James Hurrell, who was ranked 63rd in the world at the time. Bunting had entered the event as the fourth seed, and he said angry gamblers sent threatening messages after the defeat.

Bunting told The Guardian that some of the attacks were directed at his 14-year-old son, Toby, who appears with him in social media content. He said his son's problems also included bullying at school and that the family moved him to a private school, where he is now flourishing. Bunting added that he will no longer use the people's champion label.

The 41-year-old has adjusted how he uses social media rather than withdrawing from it entirely. He said he retains a presence on X but no longer messages there, describing Instagram and TikTok as much less hostile in his experience. The family monitors comments on content involving Toby and sometimes disables them. Bunting also continues to produce YouTube material and said he values the connection with supporters.

His growing profile extends beyond Britain. Bunting recalled being recognised by a police officer in New York because of his walk-on routine, and he linked that encounter to darts' expanding international reach. The Guardian reported that Bunting is the sport's most heavily marketed player after teenage world champion Luke Littler, while his familiar entrance to Titanium remains central to his public identity.

Bunting also discussed an earlier collapse in form that brought him close to leaving darts. After losing 3-0 to an amateur in a local league match about five and a half years ago, he sought help from a sports psychologist and hypnotherapist; he said he still uses hypnotherapy, sometimes twice a week around major events. Now competing regularly on the European Tour, Bunting believes he can remain at elite level for another decade, even as he expects a new wave of highly skilled young players to make the sport more challenging.