In 1987 I got dartitis, a psychological condition which means you can't let your darts go properly. For a time, I wondered what the hell I was going to do if I didn't recover. But I remained positive and, thankfully, got over it. It occurred during the Swedish Open when I found I couldn't let the darts go.

It was hell at the time, but after it was over, it was wonderful.

Ever since I've been 16, 15, that's all I've been doing: playing darts.

I was born at the right time. I was a freak - the only young player when darts took off in the 1970s.

All this cuddling and kissing on stage these days, well it's all right in football when someone scores a goal, but not when you're playing darts.

I was 15 when I got my first job as a proofreader for an advertising agency in the City, earning £12 a week. But by then, I was already playing darts tournaments every weekend, regularly winning the £50 first prize. By the time I was 16 and winning two or three contests a weekend, I ditched the agency job and concentrated on darts.