HOOD BANNED FROM BEING "HAPPY FEET"

JUSTIN HOOD has revealed he was BANNED from using his nickname ‘Happy Feet’.

The Glastonbury thrower was a star of the World Championship at the Ally Pally before going out in the quarter-finals to Gary Anderson.

But Hood, 33, has since been instructed by Warner Bros, the owners of the film ‘Happy Feet’ that he cannot use that nickname anymore.

He explained: “Warner Bros got hold of Target (darts manufacturer) so I’ve heard and said we can’t have it because obviously they’ve got rights to the film.

“We went with ‘Pocket Rocket’. I've been told what ‘Pocket Rocket’ means in America now and I might have to change it again because it's a bit dirty.

“Nicknames are not something you come up with yourself, it's what people call you and I've always been ‘Happy Feet' and I always will be.

“Hopefully in the next three or four years we can go back to that.”

Hood’s big storyline at the Ally Pally was his wish to earn enough to buy a Chinese restaurant so he could have his favourite takeaway all the time.

He also managed to entice World No.2 Luke Humphries into being a partner in the venture.

Hood admits his life has changed since his epic run in London which ended on New Year’s Day with a 5-2 to defeat to Anderson.

He added: “It’s been a whirlwind since the Worlds. It’s gone from nothing to getting hundreds of messages a day. It’s nice but it’s a lot to get used to.

“I’m starting to come out the other side of it now and producing some good stuff.

“Over 90 per cent of it was the Chinese restaurant. That’s still the aim, in the next year or two, we want one. Hopefully we can get one.

“It’s hard to go out and practice because people want to talk to you, which is fine, I’ll never say no to anyone.

“I go to my mates house to practice instead of a pub now, which I’m not a massive fan of. I’ve grown up in a pub. I’m hoping it will wear off the novelty of seeing me.

“To be fair for me and my missus, it was still life-changing. We had to give a lot away, obviously you’ve got your management fees and tax and that, about £100,000 dwindled down to about 30!

“But for us it was still a £30,000 injection that we never had before. I can play this year with no pressure. It’s a nice feeling but I want more, I want to win the Worlds.”

Words by Phil Lanning

Image by Taylor Lanning