Stephen Bunting says his family have been hurt by social media "hate" directed at his son following his exit from the World Darts Championship.
Bunting, seeded fourth at Alexandra Palace, made a surprise third-round exit as he was beaten 4-3 by James Hurrell on Saturday.
The 2025 semi-finalist endured an emotional start to the tournament as he faced a backlash on social media after declaring himself the "people's champion" following a first-round victory over Sebastian Bialecki.
Posting via X on Monday, Bunting revealed the further upset that has been caused by abuse directed at his son Toby, who has featured in social media videos alongside his father.
"I want to thank my family who also put a lot of commitment in behind the scenes, not really seeing me as much as I would like and I've found that the most difficult this year but they know I do all this for them," Bunting said.
"I love my family so much and they give me massive motivation to continue this journey. I still believe I have a lot to give darts over the rest of my career and I want to make them forever proud.
"They see the negative comments and do their best to make sure I don't see them and even Toby has had some hate from some of the trolls online which really is hurtful for us as a family. Toby is one of the nicest kids you could wish to meet and I'll be doing a lot more social stuff with him this coming year."
Bunting insists that the support he has received on social media "deafens the noise" of any negativity he has faced.
He said: "I wanted to come on and say thank you to all the fans and the support which has been very overwhelming from you guys. Not only in the venue for the worlds but all over my socials with messages of support and love.
"You guys really are my inspiration and you help to pick me up whilst I'm down in any situation. You're a massive reason why I keep trying to give 110 per cent in every aspect of what I do whether that's playing on the stage or doing any type of my media work.
"There have been many negative comments but the positive far outweighs them and deafens the noise they try to make."
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