Mark Webster health update as Premier League Darts pundit confirms TV return

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Former darts world champion and broadcaster Mark Webster has revealed his health has "improved" and has been given the green light to return to work at the Premier League on Thursday, just days after going public with his cancer diagnosis.

Webster, 42, announced last week that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer . The Welshman was told he had hairy cell leukaemia in January and has since confirmed he is undergoing chemotherapy.

"It sounds bad when you say leukaemia but...it's got a good prognosis, 95% of cases are successful," Webster said in an interview on Darts World's YouTube channel. "I will be put into some sort of remission at some point but just the recovery at the minute is not going to plan in terms of the speed of it."

Less than five days has passed since that interview was released and Webster has since posted another update, revealing his condition had taken a turn for the better, with 'The Spider' set to make his comeback on Thursday.

Writing on X, Webster said: "I'm delighted to say that since this interview was filmed, things have improved. Although I'm still undergoing treatment, I have been cleared to return to Premier League duty on Thursday. Looking forward to being back amongst it. Thanks again for all of the love and support [red love heart emoji]."

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Webster, who claimed the 2008 BDO World Championship title, has been absent from TV coverage since February but is due to return as a pundit for Night 15 of the Premier League this week. The St Asaph-born darts pundit has been a key presence on Sky Sports ' darts coverage over the past couple of years, having retired from the sport on a professional level seven years ago.

Opening up about his eagerness to return to work, Webster said last week: "In myself I feel fine and I would love to go back to work, but they (his medical team) don't like the environment I work in. At the minute it's a case of doing as I'm told and being patient. It's frustrating because I like to be busy, but hopefully it won't be too much longer."

Hairy cell leukaemia is an uncommon form of chronic blood cancer most frequently diagnosed in middle-aged adults, though the vast majority of patients enjoy a normal life expectancy with the right treatment.

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Prior to his diagnosis, Webster revealed he had felt "really fatigued" and "was getting very tired". He had appeared on Sky Sports' coverage throughout the 2026 World Championship but has not featured on screen since Premier League Night 1 in February.

"My white blood counts are still not recovering, so therefore my immune system is not great at the minute, hence why I can't go back to work," he added. "It's not the worst case sort of scenario, but it's just a bit frustrating for me.

"I can work with people but just in sensible environments. The day-to-day thing is a bit frustrating because I'm used to being busy. I've got to trust the people that have been looking after me. They've been really good. I don't always get the answers I want when I go in, but I've got to trust them."

World No.1 Luke Littler currently sits atop the Premier League standings after 14 weeks of action, with Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries rounding out the top four.

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.