Former world darts champion Andy Fordham, 59

Becoming world champion should have been the best thing that happened to Andy Fordham.

The darts player, who has died aged 59, won the 2004 BDO World Championship at the Lakeside, beating Mervyn King in a thrilling final.

He had reached the top of the game and had the world at his feet. But that turned out to be a danger.

Fordham, regarded as one of the most popular players in the sport by opponents and fans, later conceded that it was actually the worst thing that could have happened to him – and the manner of the victory tells the real story of his life and career.

Nicknamed The Viking and instantly recognisable for his huge frame, at one point weighing 31 stone, Fordham confessed that he was drunk during that landmark win.

He was a heavy drinker, a habit born out of running a pub with his wife Jenny, and reportedly drained a bottle of brandy and 24 bottles of beer before taking to the oche for the biggest night of his life.

He stormed to a memorable 6-3 win over King to put his name alongside some of the greats of the game.

“Maybe it was one of the worst things that could have happened to me, becoming world champion,” he said in a newspaper interview in 2009.

“I wasn’t used to the limelight. I just enjoyed drinking. In the end I p ***** away everything I earned.”

Taylor was told by doctors his liver was 75% dead, the remaining 25% was not in great condition, and that he had to stop drinking immediately.

In a bid to get into shape, he enrolled on reality TV show Celebrity Fit Club but continued to struggle with health issues, including the need for a lifesaving bowel operation in 2020.

It did not start out like that for Fordham, who was born in Bristol in 1962 as the eldest of four children but grew up in south-east London.

He was an active child and had a keen interest in football and athletics.

His interest in darts coincided with the discovery of pubs and the two went hand in hand for much of his life and career.

Fordham is survived by his wife Jenny and their children Ray and Emily.

RISE AND FALL: Andy Fordham, nicknamed The Viking, was hugely popular with fans.