I quit my factory job after winning £50,000 at the World Darts Championship – but it all went wrong and now I qualify as an electrician.

Kirk Shepherd, a name once synonymous with promise and potential in the world of darts, has enjoyed a career marked by both stunning highs and difficult lows.

Known for his breakthrough performance at the 2008 World Darts Championship, Shepherd’s journey left an indelible mark on the sport.

At just 21 years old – and with odds of 1,000 to 1 – Shepherd took the competition by storm 16 years ago and reached the final, before narrowly losing out to John Part.

Despite the defeat, Shepherd pocketed £50,000 for his troubles and, by his own admission, his life changed overnight.

However, 16 years after this monumental success, Shepherd claimed that he has since moved on to new projects and is now “just Kirk Shepherd”.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: “I went from being a normal boy working in a factory to back-page headlines and a nice big paycheck. After that, the devil came to me.

“I was a bit stupid and got carried away by it all. I thought everything was going to fall on a plate for me and that it was the start of a new beginning, a bright new dawn, but I stopped trying. I became lazy.

“After winning £50,000 as world runner-up in 2008 and having some wealth, four years later I was living alone in a flea-infested one-bedroom flat.

“I qualified as an electrician at a company called Bilfinger in Haydock. I don’t think they knew who they were up against at first, but now I’m just Kirk Shepherd, not the 1,000-1 underdog who reached the final at Ally Pally.‌

“I am the father of three boys aged 15, 13 and 6, and things are so much better that I am even thinking of taking up the old arrows again. I might have given up darts, but darts never left me.

In January 2022, Shepherd handed in his tour card due to darts problems, an illness which can affect darts players and seriously impair their performances.

Shepherd’s career trajectory took a downward turn in the years following his final appearance at the World Championships.

The pressure to meet initial expectations, combined with fluctuating form and inconsistent performances, led to a series of struggles.

There had already been fears when he came onto the scene that Luke Littler could go on a rampage after earning a lucrative payday at last year’s World Championships.

However, he later revealed the humbling rewards he would offer himself. He told the Telegraph: “I always treat myself to Under Armor tracksuits.

“And I just buy myself a new coat and get some Fifa points for my Xbox.” That’s about it.