Peter Wright World darts champ's net worth, wife, colourful hair and Snakebite nickname

"Don't Stop the Party" goes the song, and you can be rest assured that on Monday night, Peter Wright didn't.

Taking on Michael Smith in the PDC World Championship final, he was 5-4 down in sets - and 2-0 down in legs - when the man famously dubbed 'Snakebite' upped the ante under pressure, reeling off three consecutive legs and then finishing the stronger to win 7-5.

It meant a second world title for the Scotsman in three years, another £500,000 to his already sizeable total of career prize winnings, and further exacerbated the notion he's become one of the most charismatic figures in sport.

But what's behind Peter Wright? What lies beneath the flamboyant persona, pre-match dancing, and dead-eye darts?

The 'Snakebite nickname'

Commonly, and wrongfully, attributed to the mixed drink of lager and cider popular with students seeking a quick fix on a night out, Wright's nickname is actually simpler that it seems.

He just likes snakes.

Furthermore, he believes their tendencies match his own, with the Scotsman widely regarded as a private man when he's not under the bright lights.

"I just like snakes. I'm a bit like a snake," he said after his first title win two years ago.

"I'm a quiet person who likes to be left alone. If you keep poking me, I'll bite you."

His family dynamic

Wife Joanne didn't just support Wright's decision to take a proper shot at professional darts - she instigated it.

He competed in the BDO Championships in 1995 but then dropped back into the local leagues for nigh on a decade. It was after Wright, now 51, and partner had been watching the Grand Slam of Darts on television, and he noted he had beaten some of the players involved, that he was persuaded to give it another shot.

The pair have three children, daughters Naomi and Jessie and son Tristan, and all family members willingly embrace his chosen career. And if you don't believe me, check out Joanne's profile pictures on Twitter.

The colourful hairstyles

The last topic, flows perfectly into this one.

Wright hasn't always been a man of flamboyant appearance. In fact, go back to that 1995 BDO appearance, a first round loss to eventual champion Richie Burnett, and you see a simple crop of black hair, a dark polo shirt, and non-spectacular trousers.

In other words, he's unrecognisable.

Some 13 years later, his first full year in PDC darts, in 2008, earned him just £1,200. It was at that point Joanne persuaded him to reinvent himself and boy, did he do so.

Joanne began styling Wright's hair before one of his daughter's advised him to start dying it all sorts of colours, and scalp paintings on his head, jazzy shirts, and loud trousers all supplemented the new-look.

Quiet man of the stage, one of the most colourful characters in sport - literally - when on it.

The willingness to entertain

He sidesteps across the stage to Pitbull's Don't Stop the Party at the beginning of his matches, but Wright's willingness to engage crowds doesn't stop there.

'Snakebite' often pauses on the third dart of a leg winning double to build up tension, and moves away from the oche to encourage crowds to make more noise.

His antics aren't always popular, bringing spats with the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis, and Gerwyn Price, but Wright has long included entertaining fans in his job specification, as well as hitting doubles of course.

His net worth

After his initial foray into pro darts, Wright went back to job hopping, once admitting he was making a profit of just £14 a week as he turned his hand to whatever he could.

How times change.

He went into this PDC world championship with his career earnings in darts totalling £3.3 million, and now you can add £500,000 to that having again taken the top prize at the Ally Pally.

He was World Matchplay champion in 2021 and a previous UK Open, European Championship, Players Championship, and Masters winner, and the smart betting is on more big money prizes coming his way before he retires.

Oh, and for clarity, he's now just over £15,000 behind Gerwyn Price in the battle to become world no 1.

Great performance, brings great rewards.

Read More

Read More