Steve Douglas: 'I had a heart attack before world championship'

Darts player Steve Douglas has revealed that he suffered a heart attack just weeks before competing in the 2013 world championships at Lakeside.

The 35-year-old, who has moved into the second round of the contest after defeating Gary Stone 3-1, has admitted that he was rushed to hospital on December 13 with severe chest pains.

"I had a heart attack," the Daily Star quotes Douglas as saying. "My coronary artery was blocked.

"I said to the nurse that I had a mild heart attack but she replied, 'It was actually quite a bad one'. I said to the doctor, 'I have to play a darts match in three weeks'."

Douglas is due to face Tony O'Shea, who is last year's runner-up, in the next round.