''Everyone needs to stop sending hate" - Luke Littler issues appeal to fans after relationship breaks down

It was announced on Thursday that the relationship between Luke Littler and Eloise Milburn had come to an end. Milburn first appeared at the World Darts Championship alongside the 17-year-old teenage sensation, and she was also there when Littler won the Premier League Darts in May.

English newspaper The Sun wrote that Littler had come to the conclusion that his jam-packed darts schedule had made it almost impossible to pay sufficient attention to his relationship. Littler refrained from commenting in the immediate aftermath, but has since come out with a response via his Instagram a day later. 'The Nuke' felt compelled to do so because his now ex-girlfriend was receiving a lot of nasty messages on her own social channels. Littler called on his followers to stop doing so.

''Everyone needs to stop sending hate towards Eloise saying it's here [sic] fault this and that,'' Littler wrote on Instagram Stories. ''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.,'' said the reigning Premier League champion.

All in all, it has been a disappointing week for Littler, who was eliminated in the first round of the World Matchplay. He lost 10-6 to Michael van Gerwen.