Premier League darts winner ‘blames’ wife for costing him thousands after U-turn
Jonny Clayton has jokingly claimed that his wife, Ellen, has cost him thousands of pounds by swaying his decision to walk out to Mr. Brightside in the Premier League Darts
Jonny Clayton lightheartedly claimed that his wife, Ellen, is to blame for him missing out on thousands in winnings in darts. Clayton, 50, recently came second at the World Cup of Darts while playing alongside fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price.
The pair lost out to Northern Irish duo Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, who won 10-9 in a dramatic final in Frankfurt. Clayton is currently the World No. 5 on the PDC Order of Merit, having won £557,750 over the last two years.
However, he thinks he could have had thousands more had he not listened to his wife after she told him not to use 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers as his walk-on song. The beloved anthem has become an energetic fixture in darts events thanks to Nathan Aspinall.
The Asp has seen his popularity skyrocket, with the crowd often singing along at venues throughout Europe when he makes his entrance. Dave Chisnall and Mike De Decker openly criticised the PDC for choosing Aspinall for Premier League Darts, claiming the two-time major winner was only selected for "entertainment" purposes.
With stakes high in the tournament, offering £10,000 per nightly victory and significant additional prize money for advancing to latter stages, Clayton can't help but humorously reflect on what might have been had he not taken his wife's advice.
On the Tops and Tales podcast, Clayton, while referring to Chisnall and De Decker's comments, jokingly said: "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."
Clayton also said he has revealed this to Aspinall himself in the past. He added: "I have told Nathan. Yeah, he just laughs. He goes, 'Thank you, Ellen.'"
Currently, Clayton's walk-on theme is Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry, a playful homage to his name, which has won him numerous fans. Reflecting on his entrance tune, he said: "It's still iconic in its own way, you know. It's got my name in it."
The Premier League Darts was conquered by Clayton at his inaugural attempt in 2021 when he managed to defeat Michael van Gerwen with a score of 10-8 in the semi-finals. He then bested José de Sousa 11-5 in the final and bagged a hefty £250,000 in winnings.
This year, Clayton has maintained excellent form on the ProTour circuit. In April, the four-time major champion seized victory at Players Championship 14 followed by winning his third European Tour title last month during the Dutch Darts Championship.
He also won £25,000 for coming second at the World Cup after splitting the runner-up prize of £50,000 with Price.