Luke Littler

[Derlei]

Ignoring the fact that he looks nowhere near 16 years old(!) but if he is 16, then why are the DM romanticising his relationship with a 21 year old woman?

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-12917331/Luke-Littlers-girlfriend-posts-message-latest-victory.html

He looks like a dart player that I can't give an age too..but he's younger than the usual players.

I'm not going to pull the Mrs Merton Paul Daniels line out but potentially he's going to have some serious money in his pocket if he keeps playing like this. He can date who he wants but I assume there'll be a thread from his mum at some point asking how to deal with awkward overnight stays.

Utterly grim.

same here

its not like he is a 16 year old school boy

What on earth does the sentiment 'darts is a game and not a sport' have to do with anything?

Hmm, my first boyfriend when I was 16 was 22, I was a very mature 16 year-old, there was absolutely no power imbalance, we had a lovely relationship for three years which I ended when I left to go to University. I'm still friends with him 35 years later.

It entirely depends upon the individuals concerned. I wasn't a child, or in any way vulnerable when I entered the relationship, and there was nothing at all strange about it.

She should be locked up. How long are they together? It’s disgusting.

Six months ago he will have been in year 11 at school doing his GCSE,s
Its a huge age gap.at that age.

The Paper that Supported the Blackshirts has a history of features on young women (as Graham Linehan pointed out years ago on HIGNFY), only difference is that it is a young man.

What kind of 21 year old wants to date a 16 year old? And it doesn't matter how old he looks, good grief. By that logic, the creepy men who thirsted over Britney Spears when she was 15/16 weren't creepy, because she looked as if she was early twenties! As usual, Mumsnet double standards ride again.

What difference does it make whether he is in school or not?

Darts is a sport and there is potential there for lots of money to be made , from sponser ship as well as just winnings.
I'd like to think she just isn't with him for the cash , but money motivates many things ( which I know sounds incredibly cynical about people I don't know and never will meet)

Same here and I would say the sme if the sexes were reversed. Not everyone on this site has the same hive mind (in response to a post up thread)

Quite ,my just turned 17 year old looks a lot older than 17 too it doesn't mean he's emotionally older though.

It’s really amazing how things have changed since I was younger. When I was 16 I was regularly hit on by men in their 20s and dated a few of them. They really shouldn’t have been hitting on me, but newspapers like the Daily Mail made it seem like men could just count the timer down to the 16th birthday then the girl becomes fair game. Pretty much every single interaction I had with these men was an absolute disaster (understatement) and I only really discovered what it meant to be in an equal relationship when I went to uni and dated men my own age. I’m lucky I didn’t get pregnant. So glad people frown upon these age gaps for 16 year olds in relationships now, it’s fine when people get older as they’re not children.

They sure would, but that is also deeply weird. It’s just two young people in a relationship and it has fuck all to do with anyone else.

he’s about to be 17. She might have just turned 21 for all we know.

17 year old lads are perfectly content to have sex with 21 year women and if it’s the other way that’s fine too.

people just love any excuse to moan and moralise. Sad.

I was a 16 year old in a relationship with a 21 year old and it was an equal relationship and very innocent. I don’t think an age gap at that age is necessarily alarm bells.

How on earth can a relationship where the two parties are at such different life stages possibly be equal??

What are the life stages they are at?

He is a full time professional sportsman (so to speak).

I dont know who she is, is she in full time work/has a career as well?

Meh. He can date who he likes. Many happy returns on the 21st Luke, enjoy being the oldest 16 year old in the world for a few more weeks!

Yes a 16 yr old with a 21 yr old partner is grim no matter how mature they look.

I hope he uses any winnings to book a personal trainer and maybe some cosmetic dentistry.

What is it with darts players that they look so bad. Fine it isn't a physical sport but you'd think that level of dedication and attention to detail would rub off on others areas of their lives.

He’s 17 in a couple of weeks and she may well have just turned 21 so the age gap may well be smaller than it first appears. I think his career may well give him a more mature outlook and I don’t actually think there is a lot wrong with that kind of 3-4 year age gap at this stage of life, especially when neither party is in education. I had a 22 year old boyfriend at 17 and for all he was a prick that was his personality not his age.

I don’t think there would be a single eyelid batter if he was the 21 year old and his gf was about to celebrate her 17th birthday.

So fucking mean. Yes, I’m sure your “concerns” really come from a place of genuine concern for Luke.

They're not that different, they're both young adults really. 16 year olds aren't children, despite what some posters believe.

I have a 16 (nearly 17) year old son, he's very mature and sensible, if he got together with a 21 year old woman, I probably wouldn't give it too much headspace if the relationship seemed equitable and wasn't causing any problems.

It sounds like he's had quite a tough childhood (spending 4-5 days a week in the pub from an early age ) so he may have had to grow up too quickly. His parents sound awful.

I agree that it's a gross age gap at those ages, wrong on many levels.

Oh behave!