The parents of Luke Littler’s older girlfriend have revealed their anger at online trolls pointing out their five-year age gap and claiming she is a ‘money grabber’ – joking she cannot even get them tickets to the matches.
Luke, 16, has been dating Eloise Milburn, 21, for six weeks after the pair met playing FIFA on the Xbox.
But following Luke’s success at the World Darts Championship, which has seen him become a household name, Eloise has faced some online jibes over the couple’s age gap.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Amanda Milburn, 56, Eloise’s mother fumed: ‘There’s been a lot of horrible stuff being posted online about my daughter and my husband Phil and I are very angry about it.
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler was seen getting a peck from his girlfriend after his victory at the World Darts Championship today
Luke pictured with his girlfriend Eloise
Amanda Milburn, 56, said she and her husband are ‘very angry’ about the comments made about their daughter
Luke Littler’s girlfriend (pictured) Eloise Milburn
Luke Littler, 16, has been dating Eloise Milburn, 21, for six weeks after the pair met playing FIFA on the Xbox
‘Eloise has been accused of all sorts and that she’s only with Luke because of his money and fame. But that’s a total pack of lies and disgusting. She’s not with him for any of these reasons. She doesn’t care about his money or his fame, she’s with him because she likes him. It’s as simple as that.’
She added: ‘It’s really hurtful when we read these comments, many of them from so called darts fans. My daughter is none of these things that these vile people are making out. She’s a lovely young girl who is in a new relationship and people should allow them to get on with things.’
Ms Milburn revealed that she not yet met Luke and that her daughter has refused to get her tickets for Alexandra Palace, where the World Darts Championship is taking place insisting that it is still too early for them to meet Luke.
She added: ‘Eloise has made it clear that she doesn’t want us going because she thinks things are still at an early stage between her and Luke. They’re in a growing relationship, not a very serious one although that might come later.
‘I have asked her for tickets because me and Phil would love to see Luke in action, but Eloise just says: ‘Mum, please, I don’t want you meeting him just yet, it’s too soon.’ I’ve never been to the World Darts Championship, and you would have thought that I’d be able to get a ticket now that my daughter is dating Luke, but sadly that’s not the case.’
Littler hugs loved ones before his match with Brendan Dolan at Alexandra Palace
The 21-year-old (pictured) was seen kissing and hugging her boyfriend at Alexandra Palace on New Year’s Day
In a post on Instagram Eloise said she was ‘incredibly proud’ of her boyfriend after he reached the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship
Littler has now become the youngest player in history to reach a semi-final in the contest
Luke Littler embraces a woman in the crowd after rushing over to celebrate with family following his victory
Ms Milburn revealed that she has been playing darts since the age of 17 and introduced Eloise to the sport when she was aged only 11.
Her daughter plays for a team in the Surrey Super League and represents the county while Ms Milburn also plays for a leading local club along with her husband.
The couple met as teenagers while playing darts and spend most of their spare time playing the sport.
Ms Milburn works behind the bar at Walton Working Men’s Club close to their home in Hersham, Surrey. Mr Milburn, 59 is a painter and decorator.
Ms Milburn said: ‘We are a darts family, we love playing this sport and are all very dedicated to it. It’s quite ironic that I met my husband through darts and Eloise might have met hers in the same way.
‘But it’s still early days for them and she’ll kill me if I bring up talk of marriage.’
She revealed that her daughter is studying for an online degree in criminology and also works behind the bar of a local golf club.
Ms Milburn said that she has seen little of Eloise since the start of the World Darts Championship as she has been spending as much time as possible with Luke.
Littler embraces a woman in the crowd after rushing over to celebrate with family following his victory
The fairy tale continues for Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler as he reached the semi-finals of the darts world cup
Eloise, who is an amateur darts player (pictured), said ‘the dream carries on’ after her boyfriend’s World Darts Championship success
Mrs Milburn said it’s still ‘early days’ for the couple who have been together for six weeks
Littler has earned a guaranteed £100,000 after reaching the semi-finals of the tournament at London’s Alexandra Palace
Despite not meeting Luke in person, she said that she had spoken to him on the phone and wished him luck ahead of all his games and congratulated on the victories that followed.
Looking ahead to tonight’s semi-final she said: ‘We’re with him all the way. We’ve known about Luke for quite a while as he already made quite a name for himself in the darts world winning junior tournaments.
‘Now he’s on the big stage and I’m confident that he’s got the skill to make it to the final. But I’m also really looking forward to meeting him once these championships are over.’
She revealed that Luke and Eloise plan to go away on holiday later this week and are also looking forward to spending time with their families.
Ms Milburn added: ‘They’ll need a bit of privacy once all this is over but more than anything, I just want people to stop saying horrible things and let them get on with their new relationship.’