‘I just completely capitulated’ – Nathan Aspinall reveals moment he suffered ’20 panic attacks in 20 minutes’ on stage
NATHAN ASPINALL admits he has had “20 panic attacks in 20 minutes” on stage.
The World No.11 opened up about battling with dartitis in a Sky Sports documentary at the end of last year.
But The Asp, 33, has revealed how it has been “horrific” in big matches and that he’s close to dealing with the problem.
Aspinall is joint bottom of the Premier League before facing Rob Cross in Dublin on Thursday night.
He told the Tops & Tales podcast with Huw Ware how he fell apart during a match with Peter Wright, squandering a 4-0 lead to lose 6-4.
He revealed: “I just completely capitulated, couldn’t throw my darts.
“But I’m handling it really, really well today. I’m working with a hypnotherapy gentleman called Chris O’Connor twice a week to try and get rid of it.
“And it is making a hell of a difference in three months. It’s unbelievable.
“The way that he explains it is, when I’m on that stage about to throw it, I’m having a panic attack.
“So that is the equivalent of a panic attack on stage. You’re that scared. Your heart’s going like that.
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“You don’t want to miss. And then all of a sudden, you’re like, I can’t throw it.”
The two-time Major winner acknowledged that the condition had been misunderstood and had made him a target for criticism in some circles.
He said: “You imagine every time I’m stopping on the oche here.
“And this is why another reason I come out, because you get abused about, ‘Oh, he’s got dartitis. Don’t put him in anything, right?’”
The Stockport thrower described the overwhelming nature of the condition.
He added: “You imagine having, say, in a game of darts, and it happens 20 times.
“In fact, I’ve had 20 panic attacks in the space of 20 minutes. It’s horrific. Once it starts, it starts. There’s nothing you can do.”
Premier League Darts 2025: Dates and venues
Night 1 – Belfast: Humphries beat Dobey 6-1
Night 2 – Glasgow: Littler beat Humphries 6-5
Night 3 – 3Arena, Dublin – Thursday February 20
Night 4 – Westpoint Exeter – Thursday February 27
Night 5 – The Brighton Centre – Thursday March 6
Night 6 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – Thursday March 13
Night 7 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Thursday March 20
Night 8 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle – Thursday March 27
Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – Thursday April 3
Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – Thursday April 10
Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday April 17
Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday April 24
Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday May 1
Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday May 8
Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday May 15
Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday May 22
Play-Offs – The O2, London – Thursday May 29
Aspinall has developed various coping mechanisms to manage his condition.
He admitted: “It’s the reason why when I walk to the oche, I kind of put my foot on the top of the oche, roll forward and then step back.
“So it gives me that one more second to try and calm myself down.
“A lot of the time I stand at the back now, give myself two or three seconds on important shots.
“It’s about keeping yourself calm and breathing, not panicking. Like I say, not panicking. You know, it’s easier said than done. People say, ‘Don’t panic.’”
However, the former UK Open champion is optimistic about the future.
He said: “I’m working hard on it, but it is absolutely horrific. And I think I’m near the end of it.
“A lot of it comes as well from the pressure, like I say, the social media side of things.”