‘I wish it was glamorous’ – Darts star lifts lid on life on tour and spends most of his time ‘in a hotel eating rubbish’

Ritchie Edhouse has delivered a refreshingly honest account of what professional darts actually looks like behind the scenes — and it bears little resemblance to the sell-out arenas and bright lights that fans see on television.

The world number 27, who sensationally won the 2024 European Championship as a 250/1 outsider, has painted a vivid picture of the grind that underpins life on the PDC circuit, busting the myth that touring professional darts is a glamorous lifestyle.

“Everyone thinks it’s glamorous, but we spend most of the time at train stations, in cars or at airports,” Edhouse said. It was a blunt reality check from a player who criss-crosses Europe almost every week to compete across Players Championship events, European Tour stops and major televised tournaments.

The toll it takes on everyday life is, by his own account, considerable. “It’s not glamorous sitting in a hotel room eating rubbish, to be fair. I wish it was,” he admitted. “You have your moments now and then, but ninety percent of the time it’s not glamorous at all.”

It is a side of professional sport that rarely makes the highlights reel. While the cameras capture 170 checkouts and nine-darters in front of roaring crowds, they don’t capture the players killing time in airport departure lounges, eating whatever is on offer at the nearest service station, or trying to sleep in unfamiliar hotel rooms the night before a high-stakes floor event.

Edhouse is no stranger to that routine. Now 42 and in his ninth consecutive professional season, ‘Madhouse’ has been a fixture on the European circuit for years and knows the demands of the travelling lifestyle better than most.

The nickname itself has a characteristically self-deprecating origin. “It came about through a few friends,” he explained. “At one point I wasn’t so good at the arithmetic. If I had 15 left, I’d throw 13 and double 1.” Those unorthodox routes to the finish brought raised eyebrows and eventually a lasting nickname. “It rhymes with my name and just stuck. I had other nicknames after that, but this one remained.”

His fan group, the ‘Edhouse Ultras’, wear the moniker with pride and regularly make themselves heard when he takes to the stage.

The candid comments come against the backdrop of a testing 2026 season. Despite the grind, Edhouse has shown occasional glimpses of the form that earned him his maiden major title, reaching the last 16 of two Players Championship events, though a major win on the big stage has so far eluded him.

He began the year having signed with Shot Darts following a productive stint with Mission, a move that signalled his ambitions to kick on from the breakthrough of 2024. At his peak he beat Gian van Veen, Michael Smith and Gary Anderson in the same week to win the European Championship — a run that confirmed his credentials as one of the tour’s most dangerous outsiders on his day.