Sky Sports star Emma Paton has become a regular face for darts fans in recent years, but her breakthrough came way before bagging a place in the Alexandra Palace spotlight
The semi-finals of the 2025 World Darts Championship are set to kick off, and Emma Paton is ready to accompany fans through every thrilling moment.
The Sky Sports presenter has become a beloved fixture at the tournament since she entered the darts scene a few years ago. As Luke Littler gears up to face Stephen Bunting in his bid for a second consecutive World Championship final, Paton’s star power will only add to the excitement.
However, despite her seemingly effortless ease around the oche, darts was not Paton’s first passion. Here, we explore her late arrival to the sport following a significant opportunity at Sky, as well as her own aspirations in athletics.
Late darts intro
Paton’s fondness for darts truly blossomed when she became involved in the production aspect of the sport. While she may have always had a certain appreciation for the game that has made her a star name, she revealed how her love genuinely ignited in recent years.
“I’ve always been a darts fan but nothing like I am now, doing every major event for Sky,” she told The Mirror last year. “I worked on Sky Sports News in production behind the scenes but always wanted to be reporting and presenting. I got a breakthrough in 2019 by presenting on Sky Sports News.
“Dave Clark, an absolute legend who had presented it for 20 years, saw it as the right time to step back. Rory Hopkins, who has produced darts for 30 years, basically the whole time darts had been Sky, saw me on Sky Sports News. He sent me a random message saying, ‘Is there any chance you like darts? I think you’d be great for it.'”
Sky Sports’ latest sensation has certainly made her mark. And it means fans will already be rooting for her to become a long-standing fixture in the world of darts.
Surprise WWE break
Paton has also recounted how bumping into WWE‘s bigwig Paul Levesque (aka Triple H) at a media gig catapulted her into the wrestling spotlight. Having been part of the Sky Sports team for a good few years, this serendipitous encounter proved to be a game-changer for her career trajectory.
In a chat with Wayne Mardle on the William Hill Club 501 YouTube channel, Paton recalled: “I was trying to find opportunities to gain experience as a presenter. One of my colleagues worked on WWE and said, ‘We do podcasts if you ever want to come and shadow or watch, let me know. An event came up at the Royal Albert Hall for a press day and then the event in the evening.
“My colleague told me to ask a question. I put my hand up and they brought a mic over and I asked about the growth of women’s wrestling and Triple H gave this really long answer. The press conference wrapped up and he’s walking out with his entourage and comes over to me and introduces himself. He says ‘I might have an exclusive for you.'”
The subsequent trip to New York saw Paton cover a WWE event for Sky Sports. And it was this that spurred her newfound confidence, pushing her to go for a presenting spot on the channel, which led to the biggest promotion of her career to date.
Surprise sports origins
The host’s athletic background has also revealed Paton’s inclination towards sports early on. Excelling as a young athlete – especially in the 400 metres – she shone while studying at Loughborough University and training under renowned coach Aston Moore.
“Some of the best years of my life were spent training at Loughborough University and mixing with arguably the best 400m runners in the country,” she explained. “The coach who had the biggest impact on me was Kelly Sotherton’s first coach, Aston Moore, who is now working with Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
“Kelly was probably coming towards the end of her career in heptathlon because of injuries and focusing more on 400m, and she was dragging me round in training sessions. If I ever got close to Kelly, it felt like a win. For a while I was living the life of an elite athlete and they were really good times – some brutal, brutal sessions, but I probably enjoyed the training more than competition.”
After hanging up her spikes in 2012, she made a smooth transition into television and landed a dream role at Sky Sports.