Emma Paton's rumoured partner, rowdy fans stance and brutal reply after pranking darts star

Millions of fans will be tuning in on Saturday as Alexandra Palace hosts the 2026 World Darts Championship final. While a new champion is set to be crowned in London, Emma Paton already reigns supreme at Ally Pally.

Paton will once again spearhead Sky Sports ' coverage of the year's biggest darts event. When Laura Woods stepped down from the role in 2022, fans feared they'd lost a crucial part of the Dartsmas festivities, but Paton quickly proved to be an exceptional replacement.

The former Sky Sports News regular has become a beloved fixture during darts' flagship event. Her tenure in the hot seat has piqued fans' curiosity about the woman behind the microphone.

Current relationship status

Many fans are eager to know if Paton is currently in a relationship. And the lack of confirmed information on this topic can be interpreted in various ways.

On one hand, some might see the absence of a public partner as a glimmer of hope. However, it's also possible Paton simply prefers to keep certain aspects of her personal life private, which is entirely understandable.

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Paton has previously revealed she was in a relationship with someone known only as 'Hannibal' and they had bought a property together. Whether or not this relationship is still ongoing remains unknown.

That said, the former Loughborough University student and 400m runner has revealed her mischievous nature following a mock 'wedding' to publicise last year's World Championship. Paton even donned a complete bridal gown before agreeing to wed a supporter.

Tournament sponsors Paddy Power executed its typical strategy of drawing attention to the competition with Paton's assistance. However, as far as spectators are aware, that represents the extent of Paton's involvement with any genuine matrimonial ceremonies.

Boisterous supporters

Lively audiences can occasionally become somewhat overenthusiastic at the darts. The World Championship is where crowds typically display their most raucous behaviour.

This comes with the job, though, and Paton is fully conscious of what she signed up for when she accepted the position. From brawls erupting amongst spectators to witnessing a fan being sick in their own footwear, she's witnessed everything.

"It's darts - there are rowdy fans for sure," she told the Daily Mail in December. "But there is a lot of security around, and everyone is ultimately having a good time at the majority of places.

"There have been very few incidents that I have seen. Maybe some of the bigger venues in the Premier League, where there have been fights breaking out, people throwing beer and stuff. But a lot of the time people are just having a good time and enjoying the darts."

Aspinall's X-rated prank reaction

Nathan Aspinall once branded Paton a 'f****** k******d' following a mischievous prank centred around a provocative Luke Littler question. However, the contentious enquiry was completely manufactured and orchestrated with the aim of fooling 'The Asp'.

The mission proved successful, as viewers could witness from the concealed camera recording. Once more, though, it was all harmless entertainment while building excitement for this year's competition.

In typical Ant and Dec style, Paton positioned himself next to co-presenter Mark Webster as they supplied questions to be posed to Aspinall. Not every query was authentic as he fielded an enquiry about his (fictitious) dispute with the current world champion.

"I fell out with Luke Littler? That's the first I've actually heard [of that]," responded The Asp in confused manner. "[I spoke with him] about two days ago I think."

Paton and Webster quickly unveiled their ruse as Aspinall jumped from his chair in a mixture of relief and annoyance. He let slip a few expletives before commending the duo as he declared: "So funny!"