Return of the Viking

Andy Fordham will literally look like a new man when he makes a welcome return to the oche after shedding ten stones to ease his health problems.

'The Viking' is one of the most popular men in darts, and his fans faced worried times when he was taken away from the Lakeside World Championships in a hospital in January.

The 31-stone giant had to have 18 litres of fluid drained off his lungs after suffering with chest pains and breathing difficulties during a first round match at Frimley Green.

Diagnosed with pleurisy, Fordham spent weeks in hospital, but then suffered a minor stroke the day after he was released, and he was then told drastic action was needed.

The likeable 2004 BDO world champion was forced to cut out alcohol - a big wrench for a man used to sinking over 20 bottles of lager before even starting a darts match.

Fordham has also shed ten stone in just over ten months, and is now almost half the size he once was, making him hardly recognizable on his return to the oche.

Fordham makes his welcome return to the big time as he tries to qualify for the Winmau World Masters in Bridlington, and he says he does not know just how his weight loss will affect his darts.

New man

"When I look in the mirror now I feel small and fragile," Fordham told the Mirror.

"Whether or not losing weight has made any difference to my darts remains to be seen, but it now takes me a week to eat what I used to put away in two days.

"And of course I don't drink anymore. I haven't touched a drop since 8th January when I went for a ride in that ambulance, and these days I only drink alcohol-free lager."

After spending eight months out of the game and unable to play darts, Fordham is not expecting to be back to his best right away, but is just delighted to be back competing.

"I wasn't able to play darts for seven or eight months, and even now I can only practice for an hour at a time, so I'm not expecting any miracles in Bridlington.

"If it goes well, and I qualify for the World Championships, but if I don't make it this time, hopefully it will still be a stepping stone to better things in the long term.

"When you have been away for as long as I have, you don't set too many targets. It's just good to be back."

Support

Fordham is hoping to make a welcome return to the Lakeside in January, and his fans would love to see him back on the stage just 12 months after his worrying exit in an ambulance.

Not such a giant anymore, Fordham was grateful for the support he received during his darkest hours.

"I never knew so many people cared," he added.

"Although I had obviously been taken ill, and they don't keep you in hospital three weeks so they can play doctors and nurses, the worst part was the feeling that I was letting people down."