Luke Littler has claimed stories suggesting he met girlfriend Eloise Milburn while playing FIFA are 'made up' as the darts star targets glory in the Dutch Masters.
The teenager has rapidly become a household name with some subline performances over the last month or so.
Littler made the final of the World Darts Championship earlier in January before losing to world No 1 Luke Humphries.
He has since won the Bahrain Masters, however, and is now looking to add another senior title to his growing collection.
Luke Littler says rumours stating he met Eloise Milburn on FIFA are 'made up'
GETTY
While Littler is currently in the Netherlands, his girlfriend Eloise is cheering him on from home.
And the darts star has now set the record straight on how they met, insisting claims they got together after meeting on FIFA are 'made up'.
"No!" he told the Guardian when asked about that speculation. "That was a weird story they made up.
"We met on the development tour in Leicester in August but became friends at the last [tournament] in Milton Keynes."
Littler also admits that both himself and Eloise suffered abuse online when news of their relationship first broke.
But it's something the 17-year-old is paying no attention to.
"We knew people would find out [about their relationship] but it started off very bad," he stated.
"As the weeks go on [the abuse of Milburn on social media] has been almost forgotten. We’ve been talking for a few months now.
"I’ve brung her along to the worlds, got to the final and whatever people say, they can say it. It’s not going to affect me or my mental strength.
"I’ve got guys doing my Instagram now and they delete it before I see it."
Littler is currently gearing up for his blockbuster rematch with Luke Humphries.
Humphries got the better of the teenager when they met at Alexandra Palace at the start of the month.
And the darts star has admitted he's yet to watch their match back.
"Yeah, every one apart from the final," he said when quizzed on whether he'd rewatched his performances over the past few weeks.
"As soon as that double two was missed I didn’t need to see anything else."
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Luke Littler and Eloise Milburn are happy in their relationship
Littler insists, however, that he's over that defeat.
"I got over it straight away," added the youngster.
"Getting to the final was a bonus because I just wanted to win one game.
"You’ve just got to come back stronger. That’s what I did in Bahrain.
"People could have said the worlds was a one-off but it certainly isn’t because I won my first World Series [tournament] and my first attempt at ticking things off the bucket list is done.
Luke Littler is gunning for Dutch Masters glory this winter
GETTY
"I’d now like to win any major this year."
Littler is also set to soon make his Premier League Darts debut.
The teenager will face Humphries in that competition, with the duo's rivalry set to captivate fans in the coming years ahead.
