Barry Hearn has revealed that a successful prostate surgery was the result of a Prostate Cancer UK campaign by the PDC and one of its sponsors. The PDC president has urged fans to get checked after undergoing the procedure.
Bookmaker Paddy Power is paying £180,000 for every nine-darter at the World Darts Championship. The money is split three ways between the player who throws the nine-darter, a lucky fan, and the charity Prostate Cancer UK.
When the agreement was sealed, Hearn felt compelled to have his prostate checked. He subsequently underwent a successful operation.
“I got myself checked, and two months ago I had a prostate operation, which has been 100 per cent successful,” Hearn said as part of the bookmaker’s campaign.
“I’m quite health conscious, but that was a nudge I needed. It was the nudge that all men need.
“What does it cost? It don’t cost anything. Why wouldn’t you? Are you stupid? Do you want to die? It’s stupidity not to do something.
“Sometimes we’re busy doing other things. But that was a nudge I needed, just to follow up and say, Do you know what? Got a little problem there? Let’s get it sorted.
“As you can see, I still look wonderful! The message is simple – don’t wait, don’t ignore the signs. Get checked, it could save your life.”
Only one nine-darter has been thrown at Alexandra Palace so far. Christian Kist threw the first since the 2023 final.
Prostate Cancer UK’s Laura Kerby said: “With almost half a million pounds raised so far and incredible awareness too, we’re thrilled at the success of The BIGGER 180 campaign and are hugely grateful to Paddy Power, the PDC and the players for their brilliant efforts bringing it to life.
“We’re also proud that this life changing campaign has reached the very top of the PDC and thank Barry Hearn for being so open about his health issues, triggered by completing the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker.
“It’s all about knowing the numbers when playing darts, but not enough people are aware of the harsh statistics about prostate health. One in eight men will be affected by prostate cancer, so it’s vital that every man knows his risk.
“It’s incredible to see more than 85,000 people have now completed our simple online risk checker since the start of this year’s campaign, and more than 75 per cent of those are high risk. So, there’s little doubt that we are making a huge impact via the darts community.”
Checking your risk is quick and easy to do. It takes just 30 seconds
