16 year old darts player and his 21 year old girlfriend.

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I'm no darts fan but I've seen loads about this new player Luke Littler who is 16 and is doing very well. His girlfriend is 21, am I the only one who rinks this is inappropriate? (Despite the fact that he looks about 38).

Probably the fact that he is about to be given a heck load of sponsorship money.

You can't see the difference between a 16 year old and someone older?

No one is being hysterical, it's pretty mainstream to think that relationships between 16:and 21 year olds possibly aren't the most appropriate as can be seen from the replies here

Ker Ching!!!

Completely different - your DH wasn't a child.

He looks, and seems/acts older than he is, so perhaps she doesn't see him as 16.

It's not like she is 50. She's only 21! Good grief, calm down @Witchcraftandhokum It's none of your business!

But he is 16 whether he "seems" it or not.

Big difference in emotional maturity.

It's a 5 year age gap FGS. Big deal. People can call him a 'child,' but he is old enough to get married, to have sex legally, and join the army. Calm down people. 🙄

waves at the “journalists” from the shitty tabloids who are writing nasty articles about this this topic

@Zanatdy · Today 20:51

I don’t see the problem, 21 is hardly old. She’s a darts player too so guess they’ve got a lot in common and he comes across as quite mature. I don’t see the hysteria of these 5yr age gaps when both parties are over 16.

This. ^ Pathetic isn't it?* *🙄

That argument always makes me roll my eyes. He's old enough legally to do all those things, doesn't mean he should! If your 16 year old wanted to get married would you say yeah, great idea, crack on with it?

Morally a 21 year old dating a 16 year old is grim. "Only" 5 years is a big gap at that age.

But he isn’t at school/sixth form is he? He’s a professional darts player earning hundreds of thousands.

Exactly this. It's completely different to some 16 y.o. Average Joe doing his A levels. Such a ludicrous overreaction 😆Peak mumsnet!

This! I'm actually watching Littler now - there is literally NOTHING about this guy that says: 'I am 16!' The way he looks, the way he plays, how he speaks. There's nothing remotely 'childlike' about him.

At 16, he is of legal age - if he and gf were 26 and 31, no one would have a problem.

But he isn’t at school/sixth form is he? He’s a professional darts player earning hundreds of thousands.

Even more likely to be preyed upon by those without healthy boundaries.

How do you know, there are some 17 yos that are more emotionally mature than a 19/20 yo easily, there can be a huge difference in maturity. You could be talking about a just turned 21 yo and someone who turns 17 this month, it's not a massive difference. It wouldn't be hugely alarming if it was the other way round IMO.

Actually he's not old enough to get married.

I agree, I have a 17yo DS and I think of him as an adult, he has a similar type of job to Luke Littler (not quite at the same level) but he is very mature and his friends tend to be older also. Some of his college friends appear very young in comparison.

I used to work at a high level professional sports club and the 17/18yo players seemed way older than your usual 17/18 yos, they have often lived away from home for a while and have massive expectations of them at work, as well as having to be very independent. It really does make a difference but I understand if people have not been in these environments they don't get it and only see your daft immature 17 yos who can't get themselves up for college.

So because he's earning hundreds of thousands at 16 he isn't a kid? OK then😂

You can in Scotland

I just googled them and he does not look 16!!! Apparently she is an ametuer darts player so maybe they spend a lot of time training in each others company. If you are brilliant at darts you must play competitively which suggests (to me as someone with very limited darts knowledge) they have both spent time in pubs from an early age.

I do agree though, 16 and 21 is odd.

Interesting the number of people playing it down here by claiming that because he has had a lot of success in darts at a young age that means he the fact that he is 16 somehow doesn't matter. I'd say the fact that he has had such success so early makes him especially vulnerable. Just look at what the Sun got him to do posing with a copy of their paper knowing full well that would make him a target for abuse. 16 to 21 is a huge age gap at that age - everyone one of you would be concerned if your 16 year old was in a relationship with a 21 year old.

Not I don’t see a major problem with a 16 and 21yr old. My teens are 19 and 15 and the 19yr old isn’t really much more mature than the 15yr old. Everyone is different, it’s 5yrs difference, hardly anything to get worked up about (in my opinion). This guy is getting a lot of attention and sadly little of it’s about what it should he, his talent

It doesn’t matter what his job is or how much he earns, he is still only 16. She is an adult and that makes her dating him very creepy. Lots of minimising and justifying it here, that’s creepy as well.

It's really not about the number of years.

16 and 21 is a HUGE gap.

66 and 71 is a tiny gap.