Kirk Shepherd went from reaching the PDC World Darts Championship final to living in a ‘flea-ridden one-bed flat’ in just four years.The 2008 runner-up now works as an electrician after quitting the PDC Tour.GettyShepherd now works as an electrician 18 years after reaching the final at Alexandra Palace[/caption]Shepherd handed in his tour card in January 2022 after battling dartitis, a mental block preventing players from releasing the dart.It came over a decade on from his shock run at Alexandra Palace on debut, having been a 1,000-1 outside prior to the tournament.The then 21-year-old had only qualified for the event at the last opportunity through the PDPA qualifiers.However, he went on to beat four seeded players with victories over Terry Jenkins, Barrie Bates, Peter Manley and Wayne Mardle.Shepherd scooped £50,000 in prize money from the tournament, despite losing 7-2 to John Part in the final.Prior to the event, he had been earning just £5.25-an-hour at a sheet metal factory.Shepherd’s run to the finalReflecting on his fairytale run in 2023, Shepherd told the Daily Star: “It was a fantastic run, one of the greatest weeks of my life.“What kept me going was being the underdog, I was riding the wave, I went up on that stage fearless and relaxed because I had nothing to lose, and I didn’t want it to end.“But I went from being a normal lad working in a factory to back-page headlines and a nice big pay cheque.”However, the fairytale would soon end, with Shepherd even admitting he was living in squalor in a ‘flea-ridden one-bed flat’ just four years later.GettyA 21-year-old Shepherd was beaten by Part in the final after his fairytale debut run[/caption]He added: “After that, the devil came for me. I went a bit doo-lally and got carried away by it all.“I went through a crazy phase because I had suddenly come into all this fame and didn’t know how to deal with it.“I’d gone from nowhere to a big final, without reaching the last 16 or quarters of other competitions along the way, and I had nothing to fall back on by way of experience.“In hindsight, reaching that final at Ally Pally was too much, too soon. It was my first-ever success at a major tournament and I wasn’t ready for it.”Shepherd would never reach another PDC major final during his career despite remaining on the tour until the end of 2021.Meanwhile, he made just three more appearances at Ally Pally, winning just two matches across those events.Shepherd beat four seeded players after starting the tournament as a 1,000-1 outsiderGettyHis final PDC World Darts Championship in 2010/11 saw Shepherd lose to Wayne Jones in the first round.Prior to leaving the PDC Tour, he did make the last 32 of the UK Open on three occasions, most recently in 2017, along with a run to the last 16 of the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts.Shepherd reflects on dartitis battleHowever, a battle with dartitis saw him hand in his tour card at the start of 2022 after 16 years on the PDC circuit.Opening up on his struggles with the issue, he said: “I don’t know where it came from, but I haven’t picked up a dart in about three years.“I was just stood there on the oche one day, I went to throw a dart and my arm wouldn’t go forward.“I knew straight away what it was and tried to play through it, but I went to an event and got beat 6-0. I went home and told the missus, ‘I’ll never throw another dart again’.Shepherd handed in his tour card in January 2022 after battling with dartitisGetty“It was causing me stress and anxiety, this game I had been playing and all of a sudden it was giving me panic attacks.”The finalists of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship will be confirmed on Friday night ahead of Saturday’s final.Reigning champion Luke Littler faces Ryan Searle as he bids to reach the showpiece clash for the third year in a row.Littler emulated Shepherd by finishing as runner-up on his debut two years ago, losing to Luke Humphries aged just 16.The Nuke has since become the youngest world champion and world number one in the sport’s history.Meanwhile, two-time world champion Gary Anderson faces back-to-back world youth champion Gian van Veen in the other semi-final.