The lowdown on Luke Humphries ahead of his World Darts Championship defence, including net worth, his change of lifestyle and his relationship with Luke Littler
Luke Humphries is the undisputed number one in darts heading into the World Championship.
For all Luke Littler’s headline-grabbing exploits over the last 12 months, it’s Humphries who is the sport’s top dog thanks to an incredible two years. After winning a series of European Tour triumphs in 2022, he finally captured his first major at the 2023 World Grand Prix.
That burst the dam as he quickly added the Grand Slam and the Players Championships Finals titles before beating Littler in the 2024 World Championship final. He has enjoyed another strong year, adding the World Matchplay crown to his collection, winning the World Cup for England with Michael Smith and retaining his Players Championship Finals title.
Humphries has also become a popular and respected ambassador for the game on and off the oche. As he prepares to begin the defence of his world title at Alexandra Palace on Sunday night, here’s the lowdown on Cool Hand…
Net worth from darts success
Humphries’ incredible recent success has seen him accrue £1.8million in prize money over the last two years alone. That includes the £500,000 he pocketed for winning the last World Championship.
According to the PDPA, the darts players’ union, his career prize money now stands at almost £3m, while his net worth is an estimated £2m.
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Weight loss
Humphries credits his significant weight loss with his transformation from a promising player to a true great. Like many, the 29-year-old from Berkshire used the downtime caused by the pandemic to get in shape.
It was no coincidence that Humphries took his game to the next level after shedding almost five stone and getting fitter. Speaking ahead of the World Championship he would go on to win, he said: “I did the exercise bike for about half-an-hour a day and then it was just eating clean and healthily while still practising. I felt better in myself but I didn’t feel any different with my throw. Everything felt the same.
“A lot of players have lost a lot of weight and it’s impacted them negatively, performance-wise. Maybe that’s done through losing too much weight and not practising through it.”
His success since shedding the pounds has inspired numerous other players to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Luke Littler relationship
They may be rivals on the oche but Humphries and Littler have a friendly relationship away from the stage. While Humphries is officially darts’ leading man, it is Littler who has transcended the sport over the last 12 months.
The 17-year-old has made the main shortlist for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award, with Humphries not making the cut. Cool Hand insists he isn’t jealous of the Nuke’s celebrity status, telling The Guardian: “I’m an older guy, I’ve got a family at home. That’s my priority. At the moment, he’s young and free and living the celebrity lifestyle. Fair play to him.
“I can’t be jealous of it. I can only admire him as a 17-year-old. The last time we’ve seen anything like this would maybe have been with Boris Becker – when you show no fear and fight your best under pressure.”
However, given their status as the top two stars in darts, Humphries accepts they can’t be the best of friends. He said: “There’s nothing to dislike about him. He doesn’t say anything horrible, he’s quite placid and down-to-earth and that’s why you see a friendly atmosphere when we play. There’s no animosity as we’re privileged to be the two top players in darts.
“I’m winning and losing finals against him and each match between us is an event. So we’re not the best of friends but we get on well.”
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