Bobby George, one of the biggest names in darts in the 1980s, proudly keeps a toe that he had amputated in 1999 in a bottle of booze in his bar at home and shows it off to guests
Darts legend Bobby George has kept one of his amputated toes in a bottle of spirits for more than 25 years. One of the most flamboyant figures in the sport during the late 1970s, 80s and 90s, George was legendary for his love of extravagant jewellery, earning him the nickname ‘King of Bling’.
He reached the final of the BDO World Championship back in 1980 and 1984, and clinched the renowned News of the World title in 1979 and 1986.
His success on the exhibition darts circuit also brought him considerable wealth, allowing him to build an 18-bedroom mansion, which he dubbed George Hall, on land he bought over three decades ago.
Among his collection of darts memorabilia is one of four toes he had chopped off in 1999 due to a genetic condition. While three of the toes were disposed of medically, he was permitted to keep one, which now resides in a vodka bottle in his bar.
In his new autobiography, ‘Still Here! The King of Bling’, he wrote: “Nobody believes me, or at least they don’t, until they see me without my socks on. Or if they come to my bar in George Hall and see the evidence for themselves.
“There’s some sort of gene in my body that has caused the toes to pop out of their socket and cross over. It got so bad that I couldn’t get my shoes on.
“I couldn’t walk without checking my balance each step. It was so painful on some days that if I’d had a sharp enough knife I would have chopped them off myself.
“There was nothing that the medical profession could do, so it became ‘Operation Toot-Toot-Tootsie.”
On the peculiar decision to keep one of his toes as a keepsake from the operation, he added: “It didn’t hurt and once the deed was done, Phil [the surgeon] showed it to me and I asked him if I could keep it.
“Phil presented it to me in a little jar but said that he couldn’t give me the proper stuff – formaldehyde, maybe? – as it was poisonous.
“But if I used vodka instead, that would preserve it beautifully. So I took it home and popped it in some vodka and now it has a permanent home behind the bar in George Hall.
“Whenever anyone comes to the house for a drink, I whip it out and ask them if they want a cocktail or a cocktoe?
“It’s also meant that, over the years, if I’ve been away from home for any length of time and my wife, Marie, is missing me, she can always suck my toe!”
The 79-year-old remains heavily involved in the game as a pundit, working at World Seniors events in recent years. He previously worked for the BBC on the BDO World Championship.