Former World Champion Rob Cross faces up to insolvency nightmare

Yahoo

03-07-2025

Former PDC World Champion Rob Cross isn't the first person to receive a dreaded brown envelope from HMRC ( The UK's equivalent of the Inland Revenue) – and he certainly won't be the last. Every day, thousands of UK residents are greeted by that ominous logo on their doormat. Unfortunately for Voltage, being a high-profile sporting figure meant the news spread like wildfire.
As of 5th June 2025, following an investigation by the UK Insolvency Service, the decorated darting star was officially disqualified from acting as a company director for five years. The reason? Failing to pay more than £450,000 in taxes.
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Now, with a plan in place and the matter in hand, the 34-year-old spoke to Online Darts' Phill Barrs about the ordeal – the toll it's taken, and how he intends to move forward:
'Look, I've got to talk about it, to be fair. It's not the proudest moment of my life. I know I've done wrong, and I've put my hands up to it.
'Going down the IVA route means I won't be paying all of that money back – I get that. I've made mistakes. It's going to leave a mark on me, no doubt. But I'm trying to do the right thing now. Mentally, it's been tough – this has been hanging over me for two years. I've been trying to get some kind of resolution, some peace of mind.
'It needs to be paid back, and I'll do what I can. But at the same time, this isn't breaking news for me. I've lived with it for a long time. I had to learn the hard way about putting all my eggs in one basket. At least now I know where I'm going.
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'The only relief I can take is that it's finally out in the open. I'm working, I've got a plan, and I will pay it back. I can move forward now.'
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When asked whether he was surprised the news became public, Cross was candid:
'No, not really. I knew it was going to surface eventually. It's me – no one else is to blame. If anything, I'm more surprised it took nearly two years to come out. The UK Government didn't want me to go bankrupt, and rightly so. At the time, I didn't think I needed to either.
'But here we are. I've just got to stick to the plan, keep working, and get it sorted. It gives me some breathing room, and hopefully, some closure too.'
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It's a harsh lesson – and an expensive one. But with the weight now public and the path forward clear, Cross can hopefully return to doing what he does best: throwing tungsten and winning titles.
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