LUKE Littler has broken his silence and hit back at haters who have slammed his former girlfriend with “hate”.
The 17-year-old darts sensation took to social media and defended his ex Eloise Milburn, 21, after it was yesterday revealed the pair ended their 10-month relationship.
On his Instagram story, Luke ‘The Nuke’ penned a message which read: “Everyone needs to stop sending hate towards Eloise saying it’s her fault, this and that.
“I myself split up with Eloise and everyone just needs to give us some time, no need for everyone to message her and give her grief.”
Pals said Luke and Eloise had called time on their ten-month relationship after struggling to make time for each other.
A source said: “Luke and Eloise have broken up and it is still very raw.
“He is naturally very upset but they have agreed to stay friends.
“Luke and Eloise tried hard to make their relationship work but with his darts schedule, he is travelling non-stop and it has become increasingly difficult for them to spend quality time together.
“He is so focused on his sport and that is taking up so much of his time.
“Calling time on their relationship seemed to be the only way forward.
“There is no bad blood between them and Eloise is completely supportive of Luke’s career.”
Warrington born Luke and Eloise met back in August last year during a development tour in Leicester.
Their friendship turned into romance and Eloise became a firm fixture at Luke’s darts matches across the country.
She was seen cheering him on during the PDC World Darts Championships early on in their relationship and more recently Eloise flew to New York to watch Luke at the US Darts Masters last month.
Luke’s life changed overnight when he reached the final of the Championships in January.
He became a household name overnight and said the tournament had changed his life, admitting: “It’s one of those things with plane-loads of fame and plane-loads of followers. It’s certainly changed my life.”
Speaking to GQ, Luke added: “I think it’s me being so young, beating all these professionals who have been on the tour for 20, 30 years.
“Maybe people are looking up to me, because if I can do that, surely if someone practices for three, four years, then hopefully they can do what I’ve done.”
On Monday Luke was beaten 10-6 by Michael van Gerwen in their first round clash at the World Matchplay.
It was a disappointing blow for Luke, who in May won the Premier League after defeating world No1 Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final.
Luke will next compete at the Players Championship in Milton Keynes before going Down Under for the Australian Darts Masters next month.
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final – and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
