Darts legend, 79, reveals he keeps an amputated body part in a bottle of VODKA behind the bar of his 18-bedroom Essex mansion

Darts legend Bobby George has revealed that he keeps one of his amputated body parts in the bar of his lavish Essex mansion.

The 79-year-old was one of the stars of the sport’s first golden age in the 1980s, known for his extravagant style, flamboyant entrances and love of gold jewellery. 

While fans flocked due to his unique character, George was also certainly no slouch at the oche and won several major competitions, including the News of the World championship on two occasions. 

In his new book — Still Here! The King of Bling — George made a shocking admission that proved his eccentric habits haven’t abandoned him since retiring from sport.

The TV pundit revealed that he keeps an amputated toe in a bottle of vodka that has pride of place in the bar situated in his 18-bedroom George Hall residence, self-built on land he purchased in 1994. George lives there with his wife and manager Marie, who he shares two sons with.

George has been forced to have four toes amputated since 1999 due to a genetic condition and while three were medically discarded, he was permitted to keep the first.

The 79-year-old’s lavish residence was self-built after he purchased the land in 1994

George lives at the mansion where he keeps his amputated toe with his wife Marie (pictured)

‘Nobody believes me, or at least they don’t, until they see me without my socks on,’ George wrote in his new autobiography.

‘Or if they come to my bar in George Hall and see the evidence for themselves. There’s some sort of gene in my body that has caused the toes to pop out of their socket and cross over.

‘It got so bad that I couldn’t get my shoes on. I couldn’t walk without checking my balance each step. It was so painful on some days that if I’d had a sharp enough knife I would have chopped them off myself.

‘There was nothing that the medical profession could do, so it became “Operation Toot-Toot-Tootsie Bye-Bye”.

George added that he quickly recognised an unconventional potential for the newly-removed digit.

He added: ‘It didn’t hurt and once the deed was done, Phil showed it to me and I asked him if I could keep it.

‘Phil presented it to me in a little jar but said that he couldn’t give me the proper stuff — formaldehyde, maybe? — as it was poisonous.

‘But if I used vodka instead, that would preserve it beautifully. So I took it home and popped it in some vodka and now it has a permanent home behind the bar in George Hall.

George now uses his amputated digit as a conversation piece (pictured here alongside fellow darting great Eric Bristow in 1982)

George is known for his lavish jewellery, and made extravagant entrances when he played

‘Whenever anyone comes to the house for a drink, I whip it out and ask them if they want a cocktail or a cocktoe?

‘It’s also meant that, over the years, if I’ve been away from home for any length of time and my wife, Marie, is missing me, she can always suck my toe!’

George, a two-time World Championship finalist in the 1980s, continued to light up TV screens after hanging up his darts as he moved into punditry.

He joined the BBC for their BDO World Championship coverage in 1998, and remained with the broadcaster for over two decades.