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Former darts walk-on girl Charlotte Wood is still in love with the sport – five years after being axed by the PDC.
Charlotte and her gorgeous colleagues were a mainstay of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship for many years, delighting fans by chaperoning the players onto the stage. But that all came to a sudden end in January 2018 when the girls were dropped out of the blue after pressure from broadcasters and a vocal minority of fans.
Charlotte lost 80% of her income overnight following the shock decision, which went down like a cup of cold sick with real darts fans. Over 50,000 people signed a petition to reinstate the girls, with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld even tweeting his support at the time.
EXCLUSIVE: Darts walk-on girls release sexy 2024 calendar and are still 'overwhelmed' by fan support
READ MORE: Darts' gorgeous walk-on girls and where they are now – from football WAG to BBC actress
But, over half-a-decade on from the unpopular decision, Charlotte – who also works as a model for Castore – finds herself just as in-demand as ever. The blonde model recently released her 2024 calendar with former walk-on girl pal Daniella Allfree, which almost sold out in the first week.
“We’ve been doing the calendar for eight years now,” Charlotte said. “We just try and mix it up really and we’ve always had a really good response from the fans! It’s very overwhelming. They always sell so well and that’s such a boost for both of us. It’s really nice.”
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Despite being away from mainstream darts for such a long time, Charlotte reveals that she still speaks to some of the players – and their other halves.
“We’re still in contact with a lot of the players and do the exhibitions now and again. They’ve died down a little bit, but we still get bookings in for them where we catch up with the players. We’ve still got the players’ wives on Facebook and things like that so it’s lovely to still be involved in that way.”
Times have changed since 2015, and while Michael van Gerwen is still the man to beat, there’s a lot tougher competition for majors. Charlotte is a big fan of the variety of winners and has her eye on one name, in particular, who has been tipped for an extended run at Ally Pally.
“When Daniella and I were doing the darts, Michael was winning everything. It was so easy to predict who was going to win. The standard now is so high, so it’s anyone’s game really! There are a lot more players in the running for it.
“Luke Humphries is one who could be up there. There are so many that could win it, and I’ve found a lot of the time now you just don’t expect who’s going to win.”
Just like the rest of us, Charlotte will be watching on from home as the Paddy Power World Darts Championship takes its rightful place in the festive TV schedules. And she can’t wait.
“I’ll absolutely be watching the worlds. It’s my favourite tournament of the year. I love it when It means so much to all of the players and it’s lovely.”
- Darts
- Exclusives
- Michael van Gerwen
- Raymond van Barneveld
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