Michael van Gerwen splits from wife Daphne as reason behind last-minute Dutch Darts Championship withdrawal confirmed

Michael van Gerwen will not be playing in Rosmalen this weekend with a sudden withdrawal from the Dutch Darts Championship and it has now been confirmed why with the three-time World Champion releasing a statement on Saturday afternoon.

Van Gerwen confirmed that his relationship with wife Daphne has come to an end and that he has had to withdraw from upcoming tournaments accordingly. MVG will not play in the Premier League play-offs next Thursday anyway after losing to Nathan Aspinall in Sheffield.

He faced a win or bust scenario and was defeated to miss the play-offs for only the second time in 12 years at The O2 but it seems that there are more pressing matters personally for the Dutch darting juggernaut.

He apologised to his legion of fans who would've been expecting to see him this weekend. Mickey Mansell gets a bye through to the final day as a result.

Van Gerwen shares two children with his wife after they started dating back in 2008 and tied the knot six years later. Their wedding took place back in 2014 and was the same year he won the PDC World Championship.

They have a daughter called Zoe and a son called Mike born in 2017 and 2020 together.

"It is with great sadness, I would like to let you know that Daphne and I have decided to end our relationship. As a result, I have withdrawn from the upcoming tournaments. I am sorry to disappoint my fans, but I am confident that they understand my choice," wrote Van Gerwen in Dutch on social media platform X.

"We are going through a tough time and ask everyone to respect our privacy during this difficult time."

Currently he is entered into the European Darts Open which is due to take place at the Ostermann-Arena in Leverkusen next week but it is presumed that he will not play for some time given this news as he alluded to in his statement.