The Sad Story of Andy Fordham Explained In 10 Minutes

In January 2004 Andy Fordham won the BDO World Darts Championship at Lakeside. He has no memory of it. He was drinking so heavily that the greatest moment of his career passed in a blackout. He weighed 31 stone. He was consuming nearly a crate of beer a day plus brandy and whisky. Three years later he collapsed at the same venue and doctors told him his liver was 75% dead. This is the story of the Viking. Andrew Fordham was born in Erith south-east London on 2 February 1962 — a Kent publican who ran the Queens Arms and later the Rose in Dartford. The pub was not just a job. It was where he learned to hold an audience as well as a pint. He began competing seriously in 1982, and by the mid-1990s was a fixture at Lakeside — semi-finals in 1995 and 1996, losing both times to the eventual champion. The 1999 World Masters gave him his first major title. The Viking had arrived. The drinking was never background detail. By his own admission he was rarely seen sober. Nearly a crate of beer every day — 24 bottles — plus brandy and whisky. A drink before every match, two hours in the bar beforehand because he needed it to steady his nerves. The BDO circuit of the 1980s and 90s was built around pub culture where social drinking blurred easily into dependency. Players mingled with fans in bars before and after matches. The line between custom and necessity faded until it was impossible to see where one ended and the other began. January 2004 — the BDO World Championship final at Lakeside. Fordham defeated Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-final then faced Mervyn King. He drank 24 bottles of beer before stepping onto the oche. Not bravado — routine. The Viking walked out to I'm Too Sexy — 31 stone, wild hair, unmistakable under the lights. He averaged 97.08 per three darts — one of the highest finals averages since the PDC split. Won 6-3. Lifted the trophy. The champion the crowd had always wanted. He has no memory of winning. The combination of exhaustion and alcohol had erased every detail of the greatest night of his life. The champion who conquered the world could not recall the victory that defined him. January 2007 — the same venue. Fordham collapsed on stage during a second-round match. Pale, sweating, clutching his stomach as medical staff rushed to his side. Taken to hospital — doctors delivered the assessment. His liver was so damaged by cirrhosis that only a quarter remained functional. 75% dead. Three weeks in intensive care. Fluid drained from his chest and abdomen. Stop drinking or there would be no second chance. The recovery came in the full glare of the public eye. Celebrity Fit Club. Twelve weeks. 17 stone lost — from 31 stone to 14 stone, one of the most dramatic transformations in British television history. He switched to non-alcoholic beer. Returned to competition. Joined the PDC in 2009. Came back to the BDO. In 2015 qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts and beat Wayne Jones on live television — his first televised win in ten years. The Viking back on a major stage. 2020 — a life-saving bowel operation. The years of damage had not faded. Early 2021 — coronavirus. With chronic liver disease and a compromised immune system the infection struck hard. He never fully recovered. 15 July 2021 — Andy Fordham died in Woolwich aged 59. Complications from Covid-19 combined with longstanding liver cirrhosis. In his own words — I drank because it was normal. Darts culture enabled the excess. His body paid the price.