Luke Humphries Food Poisoning Cost Him a Stone
The luke humphries food poisoning story is the most remarkable comeback tale of the 2026 darts season so far. Just three weeks after a bout of food poisoning left him bed-bound, unable to eat and a stone lighter, Luke Humphries walked back into the Mattioli Arena in Leicester and won Players Championship 33, beating Niels Zonneveld 8-4 in the final on Wednesday 4 November. He averaged 103.77 in the final, sealed the £15,000 winner’s prize with an 11-dart hold, and collected his fourth Players Championship title of 2026 in only his tenth floor appearance of the year. It was a comeback built on almost no practice and a body still finding its strength again, and it came after an illness that had already cost him a major championship.
On this page
- Luke Humphries Food Poisoning: What Happened
- A Stone Lost in Eight Days
- The Major He Could Not Play
- Two Weeks Without Practice
- The Comeback: Players Championship 33 Title
- “I’d Rather Have Played Michael Than Niels”
- Back-to-Back Finals in Leicester
- What Happens Next for Humphries
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Luke Humphries Food Poisoning: What Happened
The illness struck after the Swiss Darts Trophy, where Humphries had reached the final before losing 8-4 to Jonny Clayton. Within days, the former world champion was struck down by food poisoning, later described in reports as gastroenteritis, and the next three and a half weeks were effectively lost to illness and recovery. He barely moved, barely ate, and did not pick up his darts for a fortnight.
“To be honest, today and over the next two days, it was more about coming back and seeing what my energy levels were like because I’ve obviously been very ill for the last two weeks,” Humphries said after his win in Leicester. “I’ve had food poisoning and I’ve not really moved about a lot for three and a half weeks, since the Swiss Darts Trophy. It’s been on the sofa or in bed. I’ve not really done much, so I wanted to come here to try and give myself some energy because I need to find out where my game’s at.”
He had arrived in Leicester hoping to win a few games and test his energy levels. Instead, he won the whole event. “I was kind of hoping to win a few games and then see where my game’s at,” he admitted. “But to come here and win, it takes you back a little bit. Obviously, I know the game’s there to win these things, but the way I’ve been over the last few weeks, it’s kind of an unexpected win for myself.”
A Stone Lost in Eight Days
The most startling detail is how much weight Humphries lost, and how quickly. When he stepped on the scales, eight or nine days into the illness, the number was almost beyond belief.
“Yeah, I’ve lost a stone. When I weighed myself after eight or nine days, I was like, ‘Jesus, you know, what the hell?’ I probably put a few pounds back on by eating normally, but I couldn’t eat.”
A stone is 14 pounds, and Humphries put the figure at around 15 pounds, or approximately seven kilos, lost in just over a week. Food poisoning of this kind makes it almost impossible to eat or to keep food down, and Humphries spent the worst of it unable to do either. By the time he returned to the oche in Leicester, he had put a few pounds back on, but he was still short of his normal weight and energy. That he won a ranking title within days of returning says everything about the form he had been in before he fell ill.
The Major He Could Not Play
The heaviest price of the illness was not measured in pounds. It was measured in a tournament Humphries never got to play. The food poisoning forced him to withdraw from the European Championship in Dortmund, a major televised event, and it was the first major championship he had ever missed in his career.
“I’d never miss a major if I could help it. I think that’s the first one I’ve missed, so I was devastated because I was on a good run, obviously winning the Grand Prix,” Humphries said. “I didn’t win the Swiss Darts Trophy but I played really, really well. I thought to myself, ‘I feel like I’m a little bit back here, and I can go on and maybe do something great this year.’ Having to miss a tournament is a backwards step.”
The timing made it worse. Humphries had just won his second World Grand Prix title in October, and had reached the final of the Swiss Darts Trophy immediately afterwards, losing 8-4 to Jonny Clayton. He felt himself building towards something special in the final weeks of the year. Then the illness stopped him in his tracks. In Dortmund, Ross Smith won the European Championship, claiming the biggest title of his career while Humphries watched from home.
Two Weeks Without Practice
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the Leicester win is how little preparation went into it. Humphries did not practise for two weeks. His first real darts in a fortnight came in the four days before the tournament, and even then only in short bursts.
“I probably didn’t practise for two weeks. Well, I didn’t practise for two weeks, and then we had a few throws over the last four days,” he explained. “It kind of re-evaluates that confidence again and makes you think, ‘Okay, well, you’ve kind of just carried on where you left off a little bit,’ which is good for me because I didn’t want to come here and disappoint.”
Humphries skipped that stage altogether: he walked into a 128-player field, short of practice and short of energy, and won seven matches in a single day.
The Comeback: Players Championship 33 Title
The Players Championship 33 results show just how complete the comeback was. Humphries opened with a 6-2 win over 16-year-old Archie Self, then produced back-to-back whitewashes, beating Darius Labanauskas 6-0 and Tom Bissell 6-0, both with ton-plus averages.
The business end brought sterner tests. He beat Steve Lennon 6-2 in the last 16, then saw off Gerwyn Price 6-2 in the quarter-finals. The semi-final against Gary Anderson was the match of the day: Anderson averaged 106.75 and still lost 7-4, as Humphries averaged 104.76 himself. Then came the final. Humphries beat Zonneveld 8-4, averaging 103.77, and an 85 checkout confirmed an 11-dart hold to seal the title and the £15,000 first prize. For Zonneveld, it was a second ranking final of 2026, after a run that included wins over Jeffrey de Zwaan, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael van Gerwen, who had earlier averaged 114.15 in a 6-0 whitewash of Danny Noppert.
“I’d Rather Have Played Michael Than Niels”
Humphries was unusually candid about how much he had feared the final against Zonneveld, one of the heaviest scorers on the tour.
“Yeah, I really like Niels. I think he’s one of the next best Dutch players who’s going to be around for a good while. I like the way he scores. I think he’s a heavy, heavy scorer,” Humphries said. “I felt a little bit anxious in that game because I just know that he’s a heavy scorer. He’s a bit like me, and a couple of doubles here and there could have made it a completely different game. I was really, really anxious in that game. I know it sounds crazy, but I’d rather have played Michael than Niels because I think he’s on the up.”
Humphries also praised his first-round opponent, Archie Self, the 16-year-old who had broken Luke Littler’s record as the youngest player to hit a televised nine-darter. The two grew up in the same town. “We grew up in the same town. I remember when I used to be a 13-year-old kid and he was about four or five. I used to play darts with him,” Humphries said. “To play a professional game against him today was quite surreal. I actually felt nervous. I’ve never felt nervous like that in my life in a Pro Tour game.”
Back-to-Back Finals in Leicester
Humphries did not stop at one title. The very next day, at the same venue, he reached the final of Players Championship 34 as well, only to lose 8-5 to Tommy Morris, the non-Tour Card holder who produced one of the great shocks of the season to claim his first ranking title. Two finals in two days, after three weeks of illness and almost no practice, is a statement in itself.
What Happens Next for Humphries
The Grand Slam of Darts starts in Wolverhampton on 14 November, and Humphries is in the field as the reigning World Grand Prix champion. Then come the Players Championship Finals in Minehead from 27 to 29 November, before the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, which runs from 11 December to 3 January.
Humphries has been open about what he still wants. Four Players Championship titles, a European Tour title and a World Series title in 2026, plus his second World Grand Prix crown, are not enough. “I still want to win another major. If it’s not the Grand Slam or the Players Championship, then I want to win the World Championship,” he said. “I think that’s what I’m really searching for now: to try and put my name in the legacy of some of the greats.” On the evidence of Leicester, nobody would bet against him.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Luke Humphries?
Luke Humphries suffered a bout of food poisoning after the Swiss Darts Trophy in October 2026. The illness left him bed-bound for around three weeks, forced him to withdraw from the European Championship in Dortmund, and cost him around a stone in weight. He returned to win Players Championship 33 in Leicester on 4 November.
How much weight did Luke Humphries lose?
Humphries lost around a stone, roughly 15 pounds or seven kilos, in just eight or nine days. He revealed the figure after winning Players Championship 33, saying: “When I weighed myself after eight or nine days, I was like, ‘Jesus, you know, what the hell?’ I probably put a few pounds back on by eating normally, but I couldn’t eat.”
Why did Luke Humphries miss the European Championship?
Humphries withdrew from the European Championship in Dortmund because of the food poisoning. It was the first major championship he had ever missed, and he described himself as devastated. Ross Smith went on to win the European Championship.
Did Luke Humphries win on his return from illness?
Yes. Humphries won Players Championship 33 on Wednesday 4 November 2026, beating Niels Zonneveld 8-4 in the final at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. It was his fourth Players Championship title of 2026, won in only his tenth floor appearance of the year, and he averaged 103.77 in the final. He reached the final again the next day at Players Championship 34, losing 8-5 to Tommy Morris.
Will Luke Humphries play the Grand Slam of Darts?
Yes. Humphries has qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts, which takes place in Wolverhampton from 14 to 22 November 2026, as the reigning World Grand Prix champion. He is also set to play the Players Championship Finals in Minehead from 27 to 29 November and the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace from 11 December.
Conclusion
The luke humphries food poisoning story began as a worrying one: a champion struck down by illness, a stone lighter, two weeks without practice, and a major championship missed for the first time in his career. It ended, at least for now, as one of the great comeback stories of the season. Humphries returned to Leicester with no expectations beyond testing his energy levels, and walked away with his fourth Players Championship title of 2026 and a second successive final the very next day. The best players are defined not by the weeks when everything goes right, but by the weeks when almost everything goes wrong. With the Grand Slam, the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship still to come, the rest of 2026 is his to shape. Cool Hand is back, and he is hungry for another major.
