The VERY painful route back to the top of Luke Littler’s Ally Pally final rival: Braces-wearing Michael van Gerwen had jaw broken by dentists, gout issues – and is suffering without his hairdresser wife in London

After Michael van Gerwen entered the oche for the first time in his semi-final against Chris Dobey, everyone at Alexandra Palace knew that the Dutchman was on his way to his seventh World Cup final.

The three-time champion planted his right foot with a steely look in his eye before hitting three treble 20s with his first darts of the match. There was no celebration, not even the flicker of a smile, he just meant it.

Van Gerwen saw off Dobey with ease, beating the Geordie player 6-1 to secure his place in Friday’s spectacle. Ultimately, the emotion was there for all to see after he hit his final double of the match.

Now ‘Mighty Mike’ will face teenage sensation Luke Littler, who aims to become the youngest darts player ever to lift The Sid Waddell Trophy at the age of 17.

That record currently belongs to Van Gerwen himself, with the Dutch star first winning the World Championship title as a 24-year-old when he defeated Peter Wright in 2014.

His career has been a roller coaster since that fateful day eleven years ago. Despite being only 35, many thought Van Gerwen’s peak years were a thing of the past after his career was almost derailed due to problems outside the oche. However, his redemption arc is almost complete.

When Van Gerwen entered the PDC scene in 2012, he seemed almost untouchable. Without the dominance of darts legend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, no one would have come close to him.

While his now rival Littler was still in primary school, the Dutchman was the child prodigy. As a youngster he broke a whole series of records and dazzled the darts world.

At the age of 29, Van Gerwen had already won three world titles, taking home the sport’s top prize in 2017 and 2019, on top of his success in 2014. Many thought the closest he would come to Darts would be as a 16-time champion Taylor.

Well, his era of dominance was unsustainable. A series of medical problems and his career that took him away from his wife and children took their toll on Van Gerwen and the titles began to dry up. It’s fair to say that his road back to the top has been far from painless.

Medical problems hinder progress

Van Gerwen is certainly one of the poster boys of Darts. I mean, he’s one of the most recognizable faces in sports right now. Only his Friday night opponent, Littler, surpasses him in fame.

Something that is synonymous with ‘Mighty Mike’ is his big beaming smile. However, that grin has not been as prominent in recent years, and it is not because he claims fewer titles.

The Dutchman has had numerous problems with his jaw, including an underbite that has caused him severe pain. Recently, he claimed that the discomfort became so intense that “even a slice of ham” became difficult to bite.

He has had two operations since the start of last year to correct his jaw problems, which affect his breathing and sleep, and the world finalist now wears a brace.

Van Gerwen’s most recent operation took place after the World Matchplay, and he had to take a break from the intensive darts calendar to rest. Nevertheless, despite all his treatments, the pain in his jaw still affects his performance.

During the PDC World Series in September, Van Gerwen explained: ‘Anyone who has ever had a root canal and knows what it feels like can see that this is a small boy compared to what I have experienced.

‘That really didn’t feel good, but it has to stay that way. My lower jaw seeks and wants to return to its old position. I had a severe underbite. A steak or a hearty baguette, that’s still not possible.’

The health problems do not stop for Van Gerwen. He also suffers from gout, a form of arthritis in the foot that often occurs in old age.

The 35-year-old has admitted that he has had sudden and severe joint pain in his big toe in the past, which can cause several problems with his dart throwing given the position he adopts at the oche.

“I’ve been suffering from it for a long time,” the Dutchman said in November 2023. “I’m actually completely done with it. I’m on good medication, but it’s not really working yet.

‘It’s frustrating. I can’t help it. We also have to deal with the doping authority, so we can’t just take everything with us.’

Life without his wife proves to be a struggle

Through all his challenges, Van Gerwen has had his wife, Daphne, to support him every step of the way. However, most of the time she has had to do it remotely.

The pair are childhood sweethearts and met in 2008 when they were teenagers. Six years later they married after the Dutchman’s first world title and now have two children.

However, their relationship was not without problems. Just eight months after tying the knot in August 2014, Van Gerwen was involved in an alleged sexting incident that threatened to derail his marriage.

‘Mighty Mike’ is said to have sent intimate messages to Stacey Owen while playing a darts tournament in Great Britain. As a result, he came out publicly to downplay the intensity of his relationship with Ms Owen, while admitting his ‘regrets’ over the texts.

“I deeply regret my decision to exchange messages with Stacey Owen and my decision to meet her while I was already in Great Britain playing in the Premier League,” Van Gerwen wrote in a statement.

‘I would like to make it clear that there has never been any physical relationship between Ms Owen and myself.

“My main concern is for my family and my wife Daphne, to whom I apologize unreservedly. I hope people will now give me the opportunity to move on and concentrate on my performances at the oche.’

Eventually, Van Gerwen and Daphne drove out of the rocky stretch and today they are virtually inseparable.

However, that was not always the case. Daphne, who has more than 34,000 followers on Instagram, started her career as a hairdresser.

Asher’s husband’s career skyrocketed, she decided to sacrifice her life in the salon to travel with Van Gerwen as often as possible.

Daphne is often seen in the audience with her children, while the 64-time title winner regularly points in her direction after his most important victories in the sport.

Last year, after reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championship at Ally Pally, Van Gerwen talked about how much difficulty he has playing during the festive period.

He is forced to spend time away from his native country over Christmas and New Year in an attempt to prepare for league matches, which is the cause of much heartache for the great player.

“After the match the kiss was for my family, because they have to do it without me again,” Van Gerwen said after beating Stephen Bunting in 2023.

I feel good and I have nice people around me. Of course I miss my kids and my wife, but that’s part of the game.’

Return to the form

Before the World Cup, which started in mid-December, Van Gerwen experienced the toughest year of his career.

Van Gerwen’s star quality had seemingly waned, and that was epitomized when he was handed an afternoon quarter-final this year for the first time since 2013.

Heading into the championships, Van Gerwen’s name was rarely mentioned when it came to predicting who would win the whole thing; most of the focus was on Littler and reigning champion Luke Humphries.

Even as the latter was eliminated, there were faint murmurs that the Dutchman could claim a fourth title.

However, he made the world take notice of him again when he came out on top in an all-time classic against Callan Rydz in the last eight.

Dobey’s demolition followed and now he has the chance to take down the favorite Littler in front of a packed Ally Pally crowd.

Van Gerwen may have lost his last two world finals against Wright and Michael Smith, but you know the expression ‘third time lucky?’ yet. Well, he’ll hope that’s the case Friday night.