Stephen Bunting has opened up about the dark side of online fame, revealing that his fourteen-year-old son Tobias was bullied at school so severely that he moved him to a private school. The fallout began when Bunting adopted the nickname “The people’s champion” – a label originally coined by British media – and used it himself during a media moment around the last World Darts Championship. Critics slammed the self-appointed title, arguing such a nickname should be bestowed by the public, not claimed by the player.
Speaking to Oche180, Bunting explained that the remark was taken “well out of context.” He said: “When you come off a game and you are in the heat of the moment. Obviously, Sky and ITV were using that. I won’t say it, what it is. They were using that and I went off the back of that. It was taken well out of context and I got a lot of stick for that.” The 2014 BDO world champion, now world number nine, also revealed the comment arose during a chat about his opponent Nitin Kumar’s massive fanbase, adding: “I was literally just saying I have a big following myself.”
The backlash didn’t stop at Bunting himself. “It was not just me who got stick. It was members of my family which hurt more than anything,” he said. His son Tobi became a target at school, and Bunting took decisive action: “Tobi is always protected. He was getting bullied in school and I put him into a private school to help him with that. He is flourishing even more now. He is such a lovely boy. Some of the stick he got was through my channel.”
Bunting, known for his humorous videos, karaoke turns, and iconic walk-on to “Titanium” by David Guetta and Sia, has long built a strong bond with fans. But the episode has taught him that visibility on social media has a dark side. A seemingly harmless nickname spiralled into a family crisis, and while he remains the crowd favourite on stage, his priority is now clear: protecting his family above all else.
