Cameron Menzies reveals battle with heart condition as darts star sheds three stone under doctor’s orders

Cameron Menzies has opened up about a significant health scare, revealing he has been dealing with high blood pressure and an ectopic heartbeat — and that a doctor’s intervention prompted the Scottish darts star to overhaul his lifestyle, losing three stone in the process as he works to get his life back on track both on and off the oche.

The 36-year-old made the disclosure on Friday at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze, speaking to reporters after his first-round victory at the Oktoberhallen. It is the latest in a series of personal revelations from Menzies, who has endured one of the most turbulent periods of his career and personal life over the past few months — from the infamous table-punching incident at Alexandra Palace in December to the hand surgery that followed, and now the news of an ongoing cardiac condition that runs in his family.

The Diagnosis: High Blood Pressure and an Ectopic Heartbeat

Menzies confirmed he has been managing high blood pressure and an ectopic heartbeat — a condition he noted is not uncommon and which has a family dimension. “In life I am doing a lot better, I am hitting the gym,” he said. “I have an issue with my heart. I have high blood pressure and an ectopic heartbeat. Which is quite common, my family have heart issues and stuff.” oche180

An ectopic heartbeat refers to an extra or irregular beat that disrupts the heart’s normal rhythm. In isolation, ectopic beats are often benign and experienced by many people without serious consequence. However, when combined with high blood pressure — which places additional strain on the heart and increases the risk of more serious cardiovascular events — medical management and lifestyle changes become essential. For Menzies, the diagnosis was a prompt to act.

“My weight was bad — I was 21 and a half stone and I am 18 stone at the moment. Hopefully I can go more down and I am trying to look after myself a bit more because that is doctor’s orders,” oche180 he said.

Three stone of weight loss is a meaningful transformation, and for Menzies the journey appears to have been as much about mental renewal as physical health. He has also embraced hypnotherapy as part of a broader effort to manage the pressures that have threatened to overwhelm him.

“I am doing hypnotherapy treatment, which is a massive thing. It helps and makes things easier. When things become complicated and hard, you break it down into smaller problems. You deal with smaller problems better than you do with the big ones. So life is good at the moment.” oche180

The Darkest Months: Ally Pally, Surgery and Near-Retirement

The health revelations come in the context of an extraordinarily difficult few months for Menzies. At the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship in December, he was taken to hospital after punching the underside of a water table in frustration following a 3-2 defeat to 20-year-old debutant Charlie Manby, causing water bottles to scatter across the stage and leaving him with blood streaming down his hand. Sky Sports

The incident drew widespread condemnation but also sympathy, with those close to the situation aware that Menzies had been carrying considerable personal grief. He had recently lost his uncle Gary, and the emotional weight of that bereavement, combined with the pressure of elite competition, had proved too much to contain in that moment.

The surgery that followed was serious. “They said when they operated on me that I was lucky that I hadn’t severed any nerves or tendons — I’d just battered and bruised them,” Menzies later revealed. “At the moment I have no feeling in one side of my finger and the other, but I hold the dart the other side so I am kind of lucky.” Sky Sports

He also spoke candidly about how close he came to walking away from the sport entirely. “There’s been a few times where I’ve felt like wrapping [up my career], I’m just not in a good place that way. I was so close to pulling out this weekend, I’m just not enjoying it at the moment, but that today has given me a bit of love back again,” Sky Sports he said after winning his comeback match at the Poland Darts Open — a 6-4 victory over Ritchie Edhouse that provided a first glimmer of light in an exceptionally dark period.

A Brighter Picture in Wieze

By the time Menzies arrived in Belgium on Friday, the tone of his self-assessment was markedly more positive. “Life generally is in a good place at the moment compared to three or four months ago,” oche180 he said — an understated but meaningful statement from a man who, not long ago, was contemplating stepping away from the game he has dedicated his life to.

He also produced a clinical performance on the oche to match his improved mood. Menzies defeated Sietse Lap 6-1, landing six of 12 doubles to advance to the second round of the Belgian Darts Open. oche180 If he progresses, he will face 13th seed Ross Smith in a second-round contest that represents a genuine step up in quality — but one Menzies, ranked fourth on the one-year ProTour Order of Merit, is well-equipped to handle.

His form across the early part of 2026 has been quietly steady rather than spectacular. He reached the third round of the Poland Masters and the last 32 at a Players Championship event, and has been finding his feet again after the long weeks of enforced absence following surgery.

“The result today is the most important thing. I was nervous, and I wanted to win more than anything else. I have not had a great start to the year, but I do think I am playing well at the moment. I feel like I am trying too hard, but that could be because of the territory I am in,” oche180 he admitted.

A Player Who Wears His Heart on His Sleeve — Literally

There is an unavoidable poignancy to the fact that Menzies, long described by admirers as a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, is now dealing with an issue quite literally concerning his heart. The Scot has never been able to hide his emotions — they have been his greatest gift and, at times, his greatest vulnerability on the oche.

Unbeknownst to almost everyone at last year’s World Championship, when Menzies suffered a first-round exit to Leonard Gates and left the stage in tears, his father was in hospital recovering from a triple heart bypass. Taipei Times Heart disease, it now emerges, has been a shadow over his family for some time. His own diagnosis, while serious, is something he appears to be meeting with the same raw honesty he brings to everything else in his life.

The gym sessions, the hypnotherapy, the three stone shed in pursuit of a healthier future — together they paint a picture of a man who has stared into some very dark places and come back with greater perspective. The darts, for now, are secondary. Getting well comes first.