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Darts sensation Luke Littler has revealed he was pursued by a photographer on a motorway just days after successfully passing his driving test.
The 18-year-old, who finally secured his licence on Monday, described being “shaking with nerves” during the unsettling incident.
Littler, who had posted an image of his new BMW on Instagram on Thursday, recounted the unsettling experience. “On Wednesday, I was driving up to (girlfriend) Faith’s and I was getting followed,” he explained, as he prepares to defend his Grand Slam of Darts title next week.
“I made, like, the latest exit that you could possibly do on a motorway. I came off so late and then so did he. And I think I did about three U-turns, he did the same, but I was just shaking with nerves.”
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Luke Littler has revealed he was chased down the motorway by a photographer (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
He added: “I’d been driving for two days getting followed on a motorway. So that’s why I posted the car so he couldn’t sell his pictures. So that’s for him. I know it’s the job, but following me on the motorway – it’s dead busy. I was nervous and stuff. But, yeah, that’s why I posted the car so he couldn’t do it.”
The incident overshadowed what should have been a celebratory week for Littler, who passed his driving test on his first attempt with no minors, despite having failed his theory test a remarkable eight times.
He disclosed that his new car, complete with a personalised registration plate, was actually purchased months ago and served as a powerful incentive to finally pass his theory.
“I just wanted to pass as soon as possible. Believe it or not, I bought the car in May,” he stated.
“I didn’t buy it yesterday. When I put it on my story, I’ve had it for quite a few months now. As soon as I bought the car I was like, ‘Let’s just try and get this theory over and done with’. I didn’t want to do any lessons until I passed the theory.”
Littler opted for an automatic vehicle, noting, “I’ve only gone for the automatic, none of all that manual stuff.”
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Littler will be aiming to defend his Grand Slam of Darts title next week (Kieran Cleeves/PDC)
He admitted to some pre-test jitters, but ultimately achieved a perfect score: “It’s very different and it was a bit nervy on my test. I didn’t know who the instructor was but I’m glad I passed. I got zero minors.”
In a week of unexpected events, Littler also found himself the subject of an online survey that crowned him the world’s sexiest sportsman.
The darts prodigy expressed his genuine surprise at the accolade. “I saw something on the news on my phone. I thought, ‘Surely, this can’t be true’,” he remarked.
“When then I saw it on ITV news. I was just like, ‘Fair enough’. I have no idea if there’s a trophy, I didn’t even know it was a thing.”
