Star of Hearts denounces online abuse against his child following his exit from the World Darts Championship
Stephen Bunting, ranked fourth in the world in darts, has denounced what his family endured after his son was subjected to online abuse following his exit from the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Darts Championship, after a surprise 4-3 defeat to world number 63 James Hurrell last Saturday.
Bunting’s 13-year-old son attended the match held at Alexandra Palace, and television cameras highlighted his enthusiasm and efforts to stand by his father during that seven-set defeat.
In his first post on the X platform since exiting the tournament, Bunting shed light on the harm caused by the online attacks directed at his son, noting that they were painful for the entire family.
“Friends, sorry for being absent from social media for a few days; I needed a short break after the match to recover and rest,” Bunting began his post.
He added: “I love my family dearly, and they are my primary source of encouragement to continue my journey in darts. I am convinced that I have much more to give to darts during the rest of my career, and I always aspire to achieve things they can be proud of.”
He continued: “They (family members) follow the negative comments and do their best to prevent me from seeing them. Also, my son was subjected to some insults from some negative online activists, which is very painful for us as a family,” noting regarding his child: “He is one of the kindest children you could ever meet, and I will spend more time with him on social media during the coming year.”
Bunting’s son regularly appears alongside his father at events, both on and off the court, including on his social media pages.
Consequently, his loss to Hurrell will likely cost Bunting the chance for automatic qualification for the 2026 Premier League Darts season, as he is expected to drop out of the world’s top four rankings following his early exit from the tournament.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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