Mark Webster is set to return to punditry duty this week after confirming that his recovery from a rare form of blood cancer has improved. The former World Champion and Sky Sports pundit will head to Birmingham on Thursday night for Premier League Darts action, which includes top of the table Littler versus nearest rival Clayton, as well as Price versus MVG.
Webster had to step away from punditry suddenly earlier in the year and had not been seen on Sky Sports or ITV for some time. In a recent interview with Darts World, he revealed his diagnosis and the challenges of his recovery. “The recovery just hasn’t gone to plan in terms of the speed of it. My white blood cell counts still aren’t recovering properly, so my immune system isn’t great at the minute, which is why I can’t go back to work yet,” he said. “It’s not the worst-case scenario, but it’s frustrating. I’m managing okay though and dealing with it alright.”
Webster explained that he had to trust his medical team. “I’ve got to trust the people looking after me because they’ve been really good. I don’t always get the answers I want when I go in, but I have to trust them. I got a bit carried away a few weeks ago thinking I might be able to work at Brighton, but my blood counts were too low. At the minute they’re being assisted by boosters and they are improving, but I need to come off those boosters and have the levels hold on their own before I can return to work. So it’s just a case of trusting the process.”
Now, Webster has received positive news. “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,” he wrote on social media.
Webster had initially tried to return earlier in the Premier League season but was thwarted. He set his stall out to return before the end and now gets just that. “I’m not putting a date in my mind anymore because Brighton was my target and I got carried away with myself. I started feeling better and thought my bloods would be fine, but they were still too low. They’ve crept up slightly now, but they’re still being assisted by boosters, so they need to hold without them. I’d love to make some sort of appearance at the Premier League before the end if possible, but we’ll see what they say,” he had said earlier.