Luke Littler has taken the world of darts by storm after becoming the youngest ever reigning World Champion – but it’s his microphone mishap revealing a potential new love that has fans talking
Luke Littler, the 17 year old darts champion from Warrington, became an overnight star last year with his stunning performance at the World Darts Championship, pocketing a cool £100K and boosting his profile significantly. This weekend though, Luke has taken his career to the next level with his biggest success yet, becoming the youngest reigning World Champion after winning the 2025 World Championship and walking away with £500,000. He thrashed German competitor Michael van Gerwen 7-3, rounding off the best 12 months of his incredible career yet.
He was also crowned the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year at the end of 2024, just losing out to 800m gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. At the Bahrain Masters on Friday, 19 January, Luke also left spectators gobsmacked by nailing a nine-darter in the match’s first leg. Luke’s journey away from sports was always closely followed by his former girlfriend, 21 year old Eloise Milburn, who was a constant pillar of support until their split this summer. Despite their breakup over text, which reportedly left Luke “upset”, they’ve decided to remain friends.
Eloise, also a darts player, was often seen cheering ‘The Nuke’ on after his matches, and met Luke while playing computer football game FIFA. Their relationship often came under fire for the significant age gap – Eloise was 21 and Luke just 16 at the time.
Luke rushed to social media at the time to defend Eloise after fans blamed her for the relationship breakdown. He said: “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.”
Luke’s current love life is grabbing attention as much as his darts skills though, with a new rumoured girlfriend on the scene after appearing to reveal her during a livestream. During a video game boxing match with popular YouTuber Morgan Burtwhistle, known as AngryGinge, a girl’s voice was heard from his mic., and said: “I’m gonna try and get some sleep because I’m so tired,” leading fans to jump to new love life conclusions.
Quick-witted AngryGinge jumped at the opportunity to tease the darts player about the mystery voice. “Who the f*** is that? Who’s that Luke? Who’s that Luke? He’s had a rotter there! Luke’s had a rotter,” he jested, as other streamers joined in the laughter at Luker’s expense. The darts whizz simply retorted: “F***’s sake,” while laughing.
Joking, AngryGinge added: “Let her get to bed, Luke, come on.”
Meanwhile, Luke’s family ties are strong with his sister Caitlin, 22, running a fan club for her brother that’s amassed thousands of Instagram and TikTok fans. Alongside updates about her life with boyfriend Jack, Caitlin is a dedicated promoter of Luke’s career, sharing everything from photos to videos with her substantial online following.
After Luke clinched the Modus Super Series title in August 2023, his sister Caitlin couldn’t contain her excitement, posting: “Speechless he’s done it again! Never EVER been more proud of someone, what a night! you just continue to amaze us all everyday we all love you so much, keep smashing it,” reports OK!. Throughout the World Championships, Caitlin is known for her heartfelt social media posts cheering on her brother with pride and encouragement.
Luke’s parents, Anthony and Lisa, are fixtures at his games, consistently offering their unwavering support. Lisa often takes to Facebook to share updates and prideful posts about her children’s achievements.
The strong connection between Luke and his mum was poignantly showcased on television when he was moved to tears following his victory over Matt Campbell in the tournament. Recounting the emotional moment, Luke said: “I started crying when I saw my mum in the crowd. She was nervous. I saw her with her head in her hands.”
He continued, “I said to her, ‘The dream continues.’ She said the same thing.” From his earliest days, Luke’s darting talent was nurtured by his parents, who would take him to the pub to hone his skills. In an interview with the BBC, Luke shared: “By the age of four I got on to the proper board. From 18 months on I have been non-stop.”
He added, “When we moved to Warrington when I was eight or nine we started going out to pubs four to five times a week.”
In addition to his supportive family, Luke has an older brother named Leon, who recently embraced fatherhood, making Luke an uncle.