Luke Littler employs specialists after online abuse became ‘very bad’

Luke Littler was thrust into the public eye following his success at the World Darts Championship but the teenager had to monitor his social media accounts after he and his partner were subjected to abuse

Luke Littler bought social media specialists into his team to ensure he wouldn’t see any nasty online comments about his relationship with Eloise Milburn.

Littler’s success at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace meant his partner was thrust into the limelight. Milburn, herself a darts player, is more than four years her partner’s senior with the age gap attracting plenty of attention. Littler only turned 17 after the tournament at Ally Pally.

There is almost five years between the pair with Milburn, 21, often attracting the camera as she was was part of Littler’s entourage at every game he played. The darts sensation took steps to ensuring he and his partner didn’t have to read the negative comments being spouted on social media.

Littler told The Guardian: “We knew people would find out [about their relationship] but it started off very bad. As the weeks go on [the abuse of Milburn on social media] has been almost forgotten. We’ve been talking for a few months now.

“I’ve brought her along to the worlds, got to the final and whatever people say, they can say it. It’s not going to affect me or my mental strength. I’ve got guys doing my Instagram now and they delete it before I see it.”

Milburn has confessed that she was affected by the abuse she faced but has now learned to cope with such comments. She maintains that those close to her are supportive of her relationship with Littler. “The first day I let it get to me a lot,” she said. “But you learn that as long as the pair of you are happy, that’s all that matters. The people that matter most are supportive of us.”
Littler has proven that his fairytale story at Ally Pally was no flash in the plan and the youngster is here to stay. He’s continued to mix it with the world’s best, downing Michael van Gerwen to win the Bahrain Masters earlier this month.

Now the teenager is determined to land one of the sport’s major titles. He said: “You put on a show. People could have said the worlds was a one-off but it certainly isn’t because I won my first World Series [tournament] and my first attempt at ticking things off the bucket list is done. I’d now like to win any major this year.”

Van Gerwen gained revenge over Littler in the Dutch Masters at the weekend, but the new kid on the block insists he will not br over awed by the players he’s coming up against. “There was nothing to talk to myself about before playing Michael for the first time,” Littler claimed. “You’ve got to think you’re going to beat whoever’s in front of you.”