Luke Littler has broken his silence for the first time since breaking up with girlfriend Eloise Milburn.
The 17-year-old darts wonderkid has spoken up for the first time after the pair announced their split yesterday (18 July), following a 10 month relationship.
The split came amidst Littler's meteoric rise to fame as the next big thing in the sport.
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On his Instagram story, Littler wrote: "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."
Known as Luke 'The Nuke', he began dating Eloise at the end of 2023, weeks after he became an A-list name in British sports as he reached the final of the PDC World Darts Championship in January, aged 16.
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According to friends of the pair, the couple eventually split after they found it increasingly more difficult to make time for one another.
One source told The Sun: “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.
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“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,” they also claimed.
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Littler and Milburn's romance was made public after his outstanding displays at the PDC World Championships, as the couple shared a kiss after he defeated Brendan Dolan to reach the final in front of millions of darts fans watching in the arena and on TV.
Fans of football video game EA FC also got to see the two live-streaming their joint-gaming sessions on TikTok - though it was never as breezy as it seemed as people were sending negative comments about their relationship.
As per Talk Sport, Littler previously admitted: "We knew people would find out [about their relationship] but it started off very bad."
When talking about the abuse they'd received, Eloise also said: "It was tough to start with.
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"The first day I let it get to me a lot. 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."
Topics: Sport, Luke Littler, Sex and Relationships
Joshua Nair