Wright worry over new back operation for wife Jo

By Phil Lanning

EXCLUSIVE

PETER WRIGHT has revealed he might have to go without his multi-coloured mohawk after his wife’s latest health scare.

The 2020 World Champion faces Nathan Aspinall tonight (Monday) in the Unibet Premier League at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

But Wright, 51, admits that his biggest concern is for wife, manager and chief hairdo expert Jo who has to undergo a second major back op in a year.

He said: “Of course it’s a huge worry. Jo’s health is my main priority. It’s annoying so far that the surgery hasn’t worked and the amount of pain she’s in every single day. This has been the same every day since last March.

“It’s really not nice for all the family to see her going through so much. She tries her hardest to get to the darts and do my hair. It’s really hard now, she can’t even stand up now. 

“Jo now has another operation in mid-May, hopefully it all goes to plan and get it fixed.

“It’s the second half of the Premier League just after her op. I’ve told her ‘you are not going’. I’ll go and play without my hair done.

“Yes it helps me. But mainly we are doing it for the fans and the people tuning in on TV, people like seeing someone different.

“It was a worry over Covid before. But we’ve both now had our first jabs. It’s a great relief.”

Wright has had a bit of a Premier League jinx, missing seven darts to beat Van Gerwen in the final in 2017 and then had a stinker of a performance to lose his semi-final to Aspinall last year.

He added: “I think the main thing with me in the Premier League is that it comes too early in the season. Around about now in April I like it because you’ve played a few Players Championships and a few Euro qualifiers.

“But when we normally start the Premier League it’s just after the Masters and thrown into the league. I’ve always started slow apart from my first-ever year in it. Fingers crossed I’ll start quicker this year.

“I really feel fresh this year. I feel like I’ve got my mojo back. It seems easier than before with less travelling to do.”

Tonight, Sky Sports, 7pm:

Rob Cross v Gary Anderson

Jose de Sousa v James Wade

Jonny Clayton v Dimitri Van den Bergh

Glen Durrant v Michael van Gerwen

Nathan Aspinall v Peter Wright

Images by Taylor Lanning.