Luke Littler's mother has launched a blistering, expletive-laden defence of her son after the teenage darts sensation faced a hostile reception from the Alexandra Palace crowd during his World Darts Championship victory.
Hostile Atmosphere at Ally Pally
The 18-year-old defending champion, known as "The Nuke," secured a 4-2 win over former world champion Rob Cross in the fourth round on Wednesday 31 December 2025. However, the match was marked by incessant booing from sections of the crowd aimed at Littler, a stark contrast to his usual status as the tournament darling.
When questioned about the negative reception, Littler delivered a fiery on-stage retort. "I'm not bothered, really, I'm really not bothered," he stated before laughing. He then goaded the audience, thanking them for contributing to his potential earnings, with a record £1 million prize awaiting this year's winner. "Can I say one thing, you guys pay for tickets that pays for my prize money, so thank you, thank you for my money, thank you for booing me," he proclaimed.
Mother's Fiery Social Media Defence
The drama escalated off-stage when Littler's mum, Lisa, leapt to her son's defence in the comments of social media posts. Branding the booing fans as "t****", she fiercely countered critics. One commenter suggested Littler was financially ridiculing the audience, to which Lisa responded: "So they buy tickets with there [sic] hard earned money to sit there like t**** and boo."
Another user told the world number one to "behave like one," prompting Lisa to reply with laugh-crying emojis and the comment: "Best comment so far am sure Luke will carry on behaving like one as he as [sic] done crowds were vile let's all boo the world number one idiots man." When a third user said the more they watched Littler the more they hated him, she teasingly wrote: "Aww gutted for ya nottt [sic]."
Littler Reflects and Looks Ahead
Despite his defiant response, Littler later admitted he had "lost" his head during the exchange with the crowd. "That's the first time I've been at the World Championships and the crowd have not wanted me to win," he reflected. "I will expect the worst on New Year's Day and whatever happens will happen."
The young champion now prepares for his quarter-final clash on New Year's Day, where he will face Polish star Krzysztof Ratajski, who earned his place in the last eight by knocking out Luke Woodhouse.
