Premier League Darts winner accuses wife of costing him thousands - 'She told me no'

Jonny Clayton has jokingly accused his wife of costing him thousands of pounds by vetoing his original decision to walk out to Mr. Brightside by The Killers. The iconic track is now famously used by Nathan Aspinall, with darts fans often heard belting it out at arenas across Europe.

Its role in raising the adrenaline levels at darts events has contributed to Aspinall's growth in support over the years. Some of The Asp's rivals, notably Dave Chisnall and Mike De Decker, have even slammed the PDC for selecting him for Premier League Darts purely for "entertainment" purposes, given his walk-on song's popularity. Inclusion in the tournament allows participants to compete for £10,000 for each nightly win and tens of thousands more for progressing to the final. That's something Clayton has missed out on, having not been included over the past two years. And he harkened back to Chisnall and De Decker's comments by jokingly saying he could have raked in thousands more if his wife, Ellen, hadn't convinced him to ditch the song in the first place.

The Ferret, 50, said on the Tops and Tales podcast: "Well, right, you couldn't believe this or not, but I think Ellen, my wife, has cost me thousands in the Premier League because the walk-on song I wanted was Mr. Brightside.

"Serious to God. So I blame Ellen. Yeah, it was Mr Brightside, and she said, 'No, I think something else. I don't think that would be good.'

"So it's her fault. So yeah, that's true. Mr Brightside." The world No. 5 has even spoken directly to Aspinall about his regret, stating: "I have told Nathan. Yeah, he just laughs. He goes, 'Thank you, Ellen.'"

Clayton currently walks on to Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry, which is a nod to his name and a song that's earned himself plenty of fans. He said: "It's still iconic in its own way, you know. It's got my name in it."

The Welshman won Premier League Darts at his first attempt back in 2021, having beaten Michael van Gerwen 10-8 in their semi-final. He went on to defeat José de Sousa 11-5 in the final, allowing him to take home the £250,000 prize.

Clayton has been in great form this year on the ProTour. The four-time major winner triumphed at Players Championship 14 in April. He went on to clinch his third European Tour crown last month at the Dutch Darts Championship.