Luke Littler completed his darting destiny by winning the World Championship last week – and he is still almost a fortnight away from his 18th birthday.
It was a triumph that has been over 16 years in the making, ever since his mum, Lisa, put a magnetic dart in his hand when he was only 18-months-old.
As Littler nailed double 16 and raised his arms aloft after sweeping aside Michael van Gerwen, it was only fitting that his parents and one of his brothers were at Alexandra Palace to share his special moment. After all, it has been a family effort to get him to the top of the sport.
Growing up in Warrington in the North-West of England, Littler’s talent was spotted from an early age by his taxi driver dad, Anthony, 43.
By the age of nine, Luke had joined the St Helens Dart Academy where he got to play against the best the local area had to offer, and Anthony was happy to take time off work to drive his son to tournaments. But there was a trade-off – Luke had to keep striving for perfection.
Anthony’s treatment of Luke came to a head when he first played Nathan Aspinall – a former World Matchplay champion – at the age of 12. Aspinall recalls seeing that Anthony was being hard on his son, and reveals he confronted Littler Sr after narrowly beating Luke.
Luke Littler became world champion for the first time at Alexandra Palace last week
Littler has been pushed by his dad, Anthony, (right) from an early age
Luke’s rival Nathan Aspinall (right) revealed he once confronted Anthony after he was ‘dead critical’ of his son
‘The first time I came across Luke, I think it was in Chester in a tournament and I beat him 4-3,’ said The Asp.
‘I think he was aged four! No, he was around 12 and wow, I just thought “Who is this kid?”
‘I remember seeing his dad with him and he was dead critical of him because he’d lost.
‘I was thinking mate, he’s 12, and I was in the top 16 in the world at that time. I said “Give him a break”.
‘His dad said: “No, he needs to learn”.
‘That hard talk over the years has probably produced one of the best players in our sport. He’s amazing and what else can you say?’
Aspinall now recognises that Anthony’s parenting has paid off. He has been able give up driving a cab while Luke skipped his GCSEs to focus on darts and has become a world-beater.
It was also notable that Luke was constantly looking over to his dad during his final with Van Gerwen.
He explained afterwards that Anthony’s calm persona helped settle any nerves he had in the biggest match of his life.
Luke’s dad, Anthony (right) is rarely seen smiling during his son’s matches
Anthony’s tough love has paid off as he watched his son win his maiden world title last week
‘My dad looked so settled throughout the game,’ Luke told Mail Sport.
‘When I was looking over to him, he didn’t look nervous. So I knew myself that if he’s not nervous then I just need to play with freedom.’
Luke’s career earnings have now topped £1.5m after his £500,000 paycheck for winning the World Championship, and he has plenty to thank his dad for.
But it may also be that Anthony’s tough love combined with a softer approach from Luke’s mum has proved to be the perfect balance.
Luke’s mum, Lisa, 40, is a retail worker who previously had a job at Yankee Candle, and is always seen giving Luke a warm hug when he walks to the stage ahead of his matches.
She is also needed in the aftermath of matches on occasions, with one such example being after Luke’s first game at this year’s World Championship.
Luke was overcome with emotion after beating fellow Englishman Ryan Meikle, with his post-match TV interview lasting a matter of seconds before he began to cry.
Shortly afterwards, he made his way over to his family where he was seen embracing his mum, who wiped away his tears as well as her own.
Luke’s mum, Lisa, is always seen giving him a hug as he makes his way to the stage for his matches
Lisa comforted Luke and wiped away her own tears after he won his opening match at this year’s World Championship
Just under two weeks later, it was little surprise that Luke wanted to share the moment of becoming world champion for the first time with Anthony and Lisa as they posed for photos with the Sid Waddell Trophy alongside Luke’s older brother Leon on the main stage.
Leon has been revelling in his brother’s success ever since Friday night and had two reasons to celebrate over the weekend as he turned 21.
He couldn’t help poking fun at his younger brother, who is still not quite old enough to have his first pint, as he spoke to the media.
When asked how Luke would celebrate, Leon told The Sun: ‘Can’t do much with him, can you? He’s 17.
‘He’ll go out, chill on his game, maybe order some food. I’ll do the celebrating for him!’
Luke was seen handing a large wad of cash over to Leon outside Ally Pally on Friday night, and that could become a regular occurrence as the 17-year-old sensation is only likely to go from strength to strength.
Then you have Luke’s older sister, who could soon be a star in her own right.
Caitlin, 22, is often by her brother’s side when he’s travelling to his matches, but she has also racked up 27,000 followers on TikTok herself with glimpses into her sociable lifestyle.
She has previously admitted to bleaching her naturally brown hair and getting lip filler to achieve her desired look and has been tipped for reality TV stardom.
Culture and branding expert Nick Ede previously told The Sun that Luke and Caitlin could become the ‘next Furys’ following the success of the Netflix show At Home With The Furys which follows around ex-heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury and his family.
Luke’s brother Leon (right) wore a replica shirt as he watched his sibling win his first world title
Caitlin, 22, (pictured) has racked up 27,000 followers on TikTok through posting about her sociable lifestyle
Caitlin (right) often posts about Luke’s (left) success on social media
Luke and Caitlin have been tipped to be the ‘next Furys’ after the success of At Home With The Furys that follows around Tyson Fury (left), Paris Fury (right) and their large family
For now, though, Caitlin is happy to play the supportive sister role, and she regularly posts on social media about Luke’s achievements.
She took to Facebook last May when Luke won the Premier League Darts title to declare herself the ‘proudest sister ever’.
Caitlin wrote: ‘I actually have no words, what a birthday present! Proudest sister ever.
‘Everyone’s probably getting bored of me sharing posts about Luke but I can’t stop he’s just too good.’
Reality TV could be on the horizon for Luke after becoming an unstoppable force on the oche.
He must ensure he doesn’t get complacent, but with his dad pushing him to get even better, and his mum and siblings on hand for support, he has every chance of dominating the sport for years to come.
