03 January 2024 , 20:08
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Luke 'the Nuke' Littler clearly has a fun side which has been shown in unearthed pictures.
The 16-year-old has taken the nation by storm and is tipped to become the youngest-ever World Darts Championship champ as he takes on Luke Humphries at the world-renowned Alexandra Palace. But away from the spotlight, it appears that Luke likes to let his hair down.
His friend, champion darts player Eleanor Cairns has shared a string of snaps alongside her pal on TikTok as she offered her support ahead of the grand final on Wednesday night. Fans instantly got behind Eleanor's call for support as she urged people to watch her "best friend".
Luke posed alongside his best friend Eleanor wearing bunny ears (eleanorc17/TikTok)
He's tipped to become the youngest world champion (PA)Taking to TikTok, she shared a collection of snaps with Luke, documenting their journey in the sport, including one image of Luke wearing bunny ears, as well as a Santa hat during the festive period, which appears to be a social media filter. Meanwhile, other snaps see the pair letting loose at a bowling alley as they enjoyed a night off.
Writing on her video, Eleanor penned: "Make sure everyone is watching my best friend in the darts championship tonight!!!! Wish him look get this shared [sic]." She captioned her upload: "#darts @LukeTheNuke come on lets smahs it up [sic]." Her post which has been viewed over 19,200 times was soon flooded with support.
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"Come on buddy followed your success in the modus! Happy he's your friend," said one. A second follower commented: "He doesn't need luck he's got this champ in the making and many more to come." "This guy is going to do it, has my full support with him. He is unreal. COME ON LITTLER," exclaimed a third.
Meanwhile, another added: "Come on Luke, all the best and congratulations." A fifth penned: "He is doing amazing!! Deserves the world this boy," alongside a red heart emoji. The chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation Eddie Hearn revealed just hours ahead of the final that Littler's win over Cross had set a new viewership record. And he issued a rallying cry for fans to overtake that mark again for the final.
Taking to X, formerly known a Twitter, he penned: "The record viewership for darts was 1.65m for Taylor v Anderson in 2015. Last night Littler v Cross smashed the record with 2.32m audience! Bigger than the Ashes, bigger than the Ryder Cup let's break 3m tonight for the final."
Speaking ahead of the final, Luke said he was confident that he could lift the Sid Waddell Trophy but was keeping himself grounded. He said: "It's not even sunk in yet. I threw big averages on the floor the past year and I'm happy to bring it on to the big stage. I've got to stay focused, be Luke Littler and relax. It's beyond believable.
"I only set a goal of winning one game and coming back after Christmas and I'm still standing. I can't imagine lifting the trophy. I have to just beat whoever is in front of me. I've got to stay mature, got to be myself and keep myself to myself. I've got to stay composed and try and get over that line. It's not even sunk in yet. This World Championship I've got nothing to lose, it's just a free hit and here I am still standing. There's no pressure, I just take everything in my stride. I've got to believe in myself, believe in my ability and so far, so good."