Whitlock broke a bone in his ankle while playing in Benidorm in November 2011 and was forced to withdraw from the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts and 2011 Players Championship Finals. He did not play again until the 2012 World Championship and, with only a weeks practice behind him, produced a stunning performance to beat Dennis Smith 3–0, with an average of 105. He continued his form to ease past Steve Beaton 4–1 in the second round. Whitlock let a 3–0 lead slip to 3–3 in the last 16 against Michael van Gerwen but held his nerve to win the deciding set, and then comfortably beat Gary Anderson 5–1 to set up a semi-final clash with Andy Hamilton. He led 5–3, to need just one more set to reach his second PDC World Championship final, but his opponent raised his game and Whitlock bowed out of the tournament. Whitlock said after the match that he had had a fantastic tournament, considering he wasn't supposed to play.