Former darts world champion Richie Burnett has revealed the shocking depths of his financial struggles, admitting he once used radiator water to prepare a Pot Noodle when he couldn’t afford a kettle.
The Welshman, who reached world number one during his heyday, told The Mirror about the desperate measures he took whilst competing at a tournament in Wigan.
Burnett recalled: “When times were hard and I had no money, I was in Wigan for a tournament and bought myself a Pot Noodle for my tea.
“But I didn’t have a kettle to boil water for it. The only thing I could do was drain the radiator from my room and use the hot water from that.
“It was all soily and brown but it worked and the Pot Noodle went down okay.”
The incident highlighted the dramatic fall from grace for a player who had won the BDO World Championship in 1995 and risen to the top of the tour rankings.
Burnett’s ordeal didn’t end with the makeshift meal preparation.
Burnett recalled: “But I’d used a pair of nail scissors to open up the valve and it wouldn’t shut again, so hot, brown water was leaking out.”
“All I could do was put a tray underneath it to catch it all. I didn’t get much sleep because I had to get up every hour to tip the water down the sink.”
His financial hardship continued throughout the 2000s as his form deteriorated significantly.
Between 2005 and 2010, his only televised appearance came at the UK Open, alongside a first-round exit at the 2007 PDC World Championship.
Despite a brief resurgence in the early 2010s, including a PDC Pro Tour title in 2011, Burnett faced further setback when he received an 18-month ban from darts in 2015 after testing positive for cocaine.
The 58-year-old returned to competition in late 2016, winning two Challenge Tour tournaments that year.
However, financial pressures continue to drive his career decisions.
Speaking after a recent Modus Super Series appearance, Burnett was brutally honest about his motivation.