Darts star Gerwyn Price shows off his dramatic weight loss as Welshman fires back at rival who claimed his body transformation had 'gone too far'

Darts star Gerwyn Price has hit back at suggestions his weight loss had gone 'too far' as the former world champion shared photos of his trimmed physique.

Price had recently revealed that he had lost three stone over the past few months in a bid to improve his performance at the oche.

The 40-year-old has earned wins at the Baltic Sea Open, four Players Championship events, as well as the Poland Darts Masters during the season.

Price's weight loss had seen him drop from wearing XL shirts to a medium, with the Ice Man insisting the process had taken place gradually over the past six months.

Dutch rival Vincent van der Voort, however, had raised concerns when discussing Price's weight loss on the Darts Draait Door podcast when speaking to fellow player Damian Vlottes.

Van der Voort said: 'I thought it was a kid in his shirt. There’s nothing left of him. You can’t really comment when someone’s overweight, so let’s be respectful when someone’s underweight too - but he’s lost a huge amount.' 

'He used to have a lot of muscle - he was massive,' he said. 'Now he looks like a kid! 

'Pretty soon he’ll be getting beaten up by Bradley Brooks. He used to be so broad, always in the gym. But he’s gone too far now. He really should put some weight back on - this isn’t good.'

'It’s not that I’m worried about him - for all I care, he can lose even more - but it’s meant as friendly advice. I’d tell him to eat a bit more. He owns a fish and chip shop, so that shouldn’t be a problem!'

Price took to social media to issue a response, sharing a before an after photo of him shirtless on Instagram.

He added as a caption 'Concerned about my weight loss? Well don’t be, I feel and look better than ever.'

Price shared another photo on Instagram of a burger and chips, adding 'best watch wa I'm eating' in another jibe at critics. 

Price recently opened up about his weight loss journey, saying: 'I’ve been playing right through losing weight. It’s gradually happened over the last six months or so.

'You know how much darts is on these days, no chance for rest. While I’ve been playing, I’ve been losing weight slowly and it’s been working.'

He continued: 'Just mentally, I feel a lot better in myself. When I’m putting on a medium shirt instead of an XL, it feels a little bit better. As long as I’m confident in myself and feeling better when I go up on stage, it can only help.'

The Ice Man admitted that darts' late-night schedules have made maintaining a healthy lifestyle difficult at times. 

'I don’t think it’s so much the travelling. Just the times and the food you have to get sometimes, especially when you are in Europe,' he said. 

'You come off stage sometimes at 10pm or 11pm at night and you’re absolutely starving, and the only thing you can turn to is fast food. 

'Scrap that – I’ll have something decent in the morning. Going to bed starving is hard work. But it works.'

He concluded: 'I knew I would lose it gradually. I wouldn’t lose it overnight. I haven’t lost a lot of fat on my arms. 

'As long as you are practising and you get that muscle memory and repetition. It can affect different people in different ways. It’s been OK for me.'

Price has finished top of the PDC Players Championship rankings after claiming four titles across the season.

As a result he will head into the Players Championship Finals later this month as the top seed.

'Good year for myself finishing NUMBER 1 SEED for the finals next month winning 4 Players Championship events and runner up in 2, finishing NUMBER 1 one the Pro Tour order of merit,' he wrote on Instagram earlier this week.

'Back to some great form and only a matter of time before another big one.'