DARTS legend John Lowe had a three-hour procedure last week to remove a three-month-old tumour from his cheek.
The 80-year-old, a three-time BDO world champion, shared a picture of the scars of the cut on the side of his face.
Writing in a Facebook post, Lowe offered “my sincere thanks to the staff of my local NHS Chesterfield Royal Hospital” following the operation last Wednesday.
Lowe – who battled Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson in the 1980s – detailed the emotional turmoil in graphic detail as he jokingly had a “facelift”.
The Derbyshire thrower, the first person to hit a televised nine-darter in 1984, wrote: “I underwent a procedure to remove a growth on my face.
“It was carried out under local anaesthetic in the outpatient suite. The time it took to complete shows how intense it was – three hours.
“Yes, that was quite a while. So long I was able to talk to my surgeon about his passion for cricket, and my understanding of that sport, my sport of darts, which he thinks very highly of.
“And our own like of music. This helped immensely to pass those long hours away.
“The nurses who helped and the ones that called in and asked how I was doing were more than helpful. It was so comforting.
“It kept my thoughts on the right path. When the surgeon said: ‘John, we are about there, my thoughts raced, what would I look like after all the cutting, stitching?’
“I could not feel the scalpel doing its work. I could hear it though.
“I could feel the stitching slightly, as the anaesthetic was wearing off.
“I was cleaned up. Asked to close my eyes, move my forehead, smile, move my tongue from side to side.
“All to find out if my nerves had been caught.
“The smile on my surgeon’s face was enough to tell me he had completed a most professional procedure.
“It wasn’t a pretty sight. I must admit I did expect it though.
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“In the pre-op the surgeon had drawn lines where he would make incisions.
“When asked what I thought I replied: ‘Delighted, you have removed the growth/tumour that I have lived with for the last three months.’
“I felt overwhelmed and so thankful to my surgeon Mr Craig Miller and his wonderful caring nurses.
“I put my glasses on, my coat on, shook hands with Craig, thanked the nurses, paid my parking fee and drove straight home to show Karen, my wife.
“Now I am resting, waiting for the wound to heal, stitches out in 10 days’ time. An experience of my lifetime I will never forget.
“One thing I will always remember. I asked surgeon Craig before I left: ‘What do I tell people?’ His reply: ‘Tell them you have had a face lift.’ I certainly have.”
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
- 2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
