Credit: BDODarts
Before Fallon Sherrock invited it in, her weight gain became a topic of public discussion.
Photos, comment sections, and random comments from fans who felt free to point out her body before her darts were how it got there. Yes, the changes were apparent, but visibility does not equate to consent, and that distinction was soon forgotten.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Bio | Fallon Suzanne Michelle Sherrock MBE (born 2 July 1994), English professional darts player |
| Background | Raised in Milton Keynes; began competitive darts as a teenager; mother to one son |
| Career highlights | First woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship (2019); Women’s World Matchplay winner (2022); multiple PDC Women’s Series titles |
| Reference | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallon_Sherrock |
Abstraction has never shielded Sherrock as an athlete. Darts exposes bodies to harsh angles, close-up shots, and bright lights. There’s no movement to blur the frame, no helmet, and no kit to hide behind. People stare at you as you remain motionless.
History was the topic of conversation when she made her debut at Alexandra Palace in December 2019. Ted Evetts lost to her. Mensur Suljović lost to her. In just a few nights, she waved, smiled, hit her doubles, and altered the course of the sport’s future.
No one inquired about her face’s appearance back then.
Questions came less kindly years later, during a time of noticeable weight gain and facial swelling. A few were presented as worries. Some weren’t even framed.
Sherrock has been candid about her 2014 kidney disease diagnosis and the ongoing medication she needs to take to keep it under control. Fluid retention is a known side effect of steroid treatments, and she later made reference to her own “moon face,” attempting to identify what people were already pointing out.
The noise persisted even after I named it.
Body has always been a contentious issue in darts. It promotes itself as approachable, commonplace, and pub-rooted. However, it becomes a topic when a woman’s body deviates from expectations. Male athletes fluctuate over decades, gaining and losing weight. The commentary hardly stops.
The pause became a fixation with Sherrock.
When her facial swelling became apparent in 2017, she was subjected to online abuse. There were some offensive remarks. Fake medical analysis was used by others to hide. It was the well-known online custom of making someone else’s health a matter of public concern.
The timing made it even more difficult. While negotiating tour cards, rankings, invitations, and the psychological strain of having to demonstrate that the breakthrough wasn’t a novelty, Sherrock was attempting to solidify her position in the world of elite darts.
Gaining weight became a shorthand in this context. for being weak. for a decline. to divert attention.
None of those presumptions were true.
She kept winning. Nine-darters were hit by her. She scored more than 100 on average. The Women’s World Matchplay was won by her. Her body’s inconvenient action did not cause her throwing arm to change shape or her accuracy to disappear.
The commentary persisted, though.
When an athlete describes her body and is still not taken seriously, a certain unease arises. Sherrock described the drug. kidney function. The endurance limits. She clarified why drinking was prohibited, why staying hydrated was essential, and why some days were just shorter than others.
Silence was not the result of explanation. It sparked increased interest.
She began talking more candidly about tiredness in 2024 and 2025. concerning the cancellation of exhibitions. regarding her inability to practice for hours on end as she used to. Instead of form, health became the key factor.
Instead of being shocked, her decision to give up darts for up to two years was met with a dull thud. It seemed long overdue. It was heavy, too.
She stated that she had to regain her health. The wording was deliberate. Not more slender. not more fit. wholesome.
That difference is important.
For her, gaining weight was a symptom rather than an objective. A consequence rather than a failure. However, it was viewed in public as proof of something moral: a lack of discipline, a decline in standards, and a doubt about dedication.
When I read her remarks about just not having enough stamina, I recall thinking about how infrequently athletes can say that without it being taken as a sign of weakness.
Sherrock has never requested a reprieve from criticism. She is a competitor. She anticipates criticism. However, the criticism she got frequently veered away from darts and toward something more intrusive.
Arguments concerning femininity, professionalism, and the ideal appearance of elite sport were all framed by her body. She didn’t throw a dart any straighter after all those arguments.
The irony is that, of all sports, darts ought to be able to comprehend variance. It thrives on players whose brilliance doesn’t match gym posters, late bloomers, and players with unusual physiques. The female body is still policed differently, though, even in this place.
The pictures reappeared after Sherrock was named MBE in 2023. Some congrats. Some are analyzing how she looks. Inseparable, achievement and assessment arrived together.
She didn’t completely back off. She continued to post. When she could, she continued to compete. Instead of apologizing, she spoke bluntly. Self-pity was absent, but there was frustration.
Her career was not defined by her weight gain. However, it revealed the circumstances in which that career has developed.
It demonstrated how easily, once familiarity sets in, public ownership can cling to an athlete’s body. How worry can turn into entitlement. How women who participate in sports are still required to explain themselves twice—once to strangers and once to doctors.
Sherrock’s tale is not a warning about form or fitness. It documents what occurs when visibility and health collide, and the audience loses sight of the difference.
She moved away because her body required it, not because she was being criticized. She has endured years of being watched too intently, brutal losses, and historic nights thanks to that body.
Gaining weight was never the narrative. It served as a justification for discussing anything else that people were uncomfortable naming.