Meet Phil Taylor: darts superstar - www.smh.com.au

"It's not all beer and skittles at the sharp end of the darts world, writes Donald McRae in London.

'The baggage of celebrity,' Phil Taylor sighs, 'can be very heavy.' The world's greatest darts player sinks back into a plush leather chair at the Paddington Hilton and contemplates his surreal fate. 'You're a target for everybody. If you let it get to you, the world can suddenly seem a very wicked place. You have to harden yourself. I'm not as trusting now and that's a real shame because I'm a very open person. But when you get to a certain level you have to start growing up a little - just like Michael Jackson has got to do now.'

Taylor has an endearingly bizarre habit. He mentions the most famous and inappropriate celebrities while describing his own level of stardom. 'Expectations are enormous. You put a huge amount of pressure on yourself. And people phone up saying they've put money on you and it turns out that the whole street ... have a bet on you to win the world championship for an 11th time. Daft things like that creep up on you. I don't get an eighth of the attention of David Beckham, but it's still pretty heavy.'
Meet Phil Taylor: darts superstar - www.smh.com.au"