‘I want even more men to check their risk’: World Champ Luke Humphries backs The BIGGER 180 for father-in-law Peter

For Luke Humphries, it was the pinnacle of his sporting career: the final of the World Darts Championship, in front of a roaring crowd at London’s Alexandra Palace – and millions more watching at home. 

But there was another reason why this special night in January 2024 was so important for Luke and his family.  

Watching on from the wings was Peter Jones, father of Luke’s fiancée Kayley. Almost exactly a year earlier, he’d been shocked by some unexpected and worrying news. 

“I was having a routine blood test as I was having issues with a bad knee,” explained Peter. “My GP was a trained urologist, so he decided to check my PSA level while they had some blood out of me. My PSA level came back high, which set off the alarm bells.” 

‘Being told you have cancer sends your mind into overdrive’

Further tests, including an MRI scan suggested no cause for concern. But the results of a transperineal biopsy pointed to a slow-growing cancer. Peter says he was stunned by the news – and his perspective changed straight away. 

“Being told you have cancer sends your mind into overdrive,” he said. “You have thoughts like, ‘am I going to die?’ and ‘what do I tell the kids?’ Silly stuff like ‘the fence needs painting before I die’.” 

After further consultation, Peter decided active surveillance – where the cancer is routinely monitored without treatment – was the best option for him. And he now has regular blood tests to keep tabs on it. 

“I’m fine now,” he said. “But I was so lucky my cancer was detected after a routine blood test. It’s low grade and low volume. Thankfully I may never need treatment, so it proves that this disease is not the end of the world if caught early.” 

A ‘priceless’ trophy Peter will treasure for the rest of his life

Fast forward a year and Luke is on the oche at Ally Pally, throwing for his maiden World Championship title. But there’s another prize up for grabs – the inaugural Ballon d’Art trophy, awarded to the player who hits the most 180s in the tournament. 

On his way to victory, Luke landed a whopping 73 maximums – each securing a £1,000 donation from Paddy Power to support Prostate Cancer UK. 

Last year Luke pledged to win the trophy and dedicate it to Peter. And it’s taken pride of place at the family home in North Wales ever since. 

“When he came off stage he hugged me and said ‘I’ve got a trophy for you’,” said Peter. “I will treasure it for life. It’s a true piece of darting history thanks to its association with prostate cancer and Prostate Cancer UK. 

“My idea is I will keep it as long as I’m alive and it will go back down to Luke’s son. He’ll have it for his life. It’s absolutely priceless.” 

Every maximum moves us one step closer to a screening programme

As the official charity partner of the World Darts Championship, we’re teaming up with Paddy Power to reach record numbers of men – and get them checking their risk of prostate cancer. 

It’s The BIGGER 180. And once again Paddy Power will donate £1,000 for every maximum throughout the tournament. But this year, we’re going even bigger – with a colossal £180,000 bonus for each nine-darter. That’s £60,000 to the player who lands the perfect checkout, £60,000 for one lucky fan in the Ally Pally crowd, and £60,000 to support our ground-breaking prostate cancer screening trial, TRANSFORM. 

And with Peter watching on, Luke will be putting all his efforts into bringing home the title – and the Ballon d’Art trophy – once again. 

“I want more people to do the Risk Checker this year,” he said. “It’s important to raise awareness because it’s not talked about enough. It saved my father-in-law’s life, that’s for sure, and hopefully we can save many more in the future. 

“Every time I get to a final Peter will travel from wherever he is to come and watch me. He’s always been really supportive of my career and he wants to be there for all the big moments.” 

You can throw your support behind The BIGGER 180 today. Check your risk of prostate cancer in just 30 seconds. And if you’ve done it already, talk to the men in your life and ask them to check their risk too. It only takes 30 seconds – you can do it while you’re watching the darts! 

CHECK YOUR RISK