Bipolar James Wade issues apology and says: ‘I was fighting myself’

JAMES WADE has apologised for his aggressive behaviour in a fiery oche clash, citing his mental health issues for the outburst.

Yet there are fears the Machine could once again implode on stage because of the “loaded gun” environment of the William Hill PDC World Darts Championships.

Wade, 35, was criticised for his “thuggish” and “bullying” antics when he screamed in the face of defeated Japanese opponent Seigo Asada late on Wednesday night.

The Aldershot ace defended his unacceptable histrionics, saying he was trying to win “at all costs” for his young son Arthur and “a bit of the UK”.

The incident will be referred to the Darts Regulation Authority and it’s likely he will be reprimanded in the New Year for the OTT celebrations.

Wade, a new father, has bipolar disorder and once checked himself into the Priory.

In a lengthy statement, he said: “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise for my actions. Seigo Asada is a great player and I would like to say sorry to him, the fans and the PDC.

“Anyone that has followed my professional career will know that this was very out of character for me and I am disappointed in myself with the way I acted both on the stage and in my interviews after the match.

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“I was fighting a battle with myself before I even got on the stage due to a hypo-mania episode which can happen to me at any time and no-one is more upset than I am about what happened.

“I would like to again apologise and hope that people can understand how remorseful I am.”

Chris Mason, a two-time BDO world semi-finalist, has watched Wade for several years in his capacity as a talkSPORT pundit.

Yet the 49-year-old reckons the incident has been “taken out of context” but is worried that it could happen again.

Mason said: “It’s no secret for those who know him, he’s an active campaigner of awareness of mental health. It’s not just slight depression he suffers from, he’s bipolar and ADHD.

“The quantities of medication that he needs to take just to function, having been there myself, just to continue to deal with it is incredible.

“For a lot of people who suffer it’s a battle just to get up in the morning, or just to function as a normal life. There’s lot of pressure on him, lots of changes in his life. Becoming a father for the first time adds an extra responsibility. When you suffer from a mental illness there’s no in-between. Bipolar is self-explanatory, you go from one extreme to the other.

“Watching the game back there were signs and evidence there, he looked volatile, he looked manic and that is a problem of being bipolar. You just wouldn’t do it. If he had a high-pressure job in the city, he’d be at home on sick leave.

“We are not looking at a guy of sound state of mind. We are looking at dissecting a human being that if he was in any other walk of life, we would be taking pity on him.

“This is a tournament where he’s never really done himself justice for a player of his ability. He gets asked so much is he the best player never to have won the World Championship, that’s even more pressure, that almost comes with a loaded gun.

“It’s not about excuses or making any kind of justification. It’s that social media is the new toilet door, nothing is written on toilet doors anymore, it’s on social media.

“Some of the words he said ‘I wanted to hurt him’. What he meant to say was that I wanted to be in his face. He didn’t want to physically punch him in the face.

“He shouldn’t have been interviewed when we all know everything about him.

I just can’t get my head around the fact they interviewed him.

“I want to see players with passion. They leave their soul on that stage for everybody. They are encouraged to sell our sport yet they are not allowed to be passionate about it?”