Darts supremo Barry Hearn said that Luke Littler, who has won nine Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) majors, has ‘stayed grounded’ ahead of the start of the World Darts Championship
20:44, 10 Dec 2025
(Image: PA)
Darts world champion Luke Littler still gets £50 a week pocket money despite raking in almost £2m in prize money.
The teenage sensation has won nine Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) majors, banked £1,970,500 and climbed from world number 164 to number 1 in two years. Darts supremo Barry Hearn said: “They always say never work with children or animals.
“But watching Littler evolve, he’s a different beast to the one who stepped on that stage at 16. He’s got so much confidence. This kid can’t go for a pint with his mates, go to a restaurant without the world bugging him.
Fans in Ally Pally
“That’s quite something to come to terms with, but his performance hasn’t been affected by that. He’s stayed grounded.
“He’s bought his mum and dad a five-bedroom house in the country, but last time I spoke to him he still gets 50 quid a week pocket money.”
The Nuke’s runaway success has sent demand to attend this year’s championship through the roof. This year’s tournament sold out in 12 minutes to PDC members before even going on general sale.
He’s enjoying huge success(Image: Getty Images)
In 2023-24, 4.8million people tuned in to watch Littler’s final with Luke Humphries, with a peak audience of 3.71million — Sky’s biggest ever non-football audience.
The Nuke is the youngest world number one in PDC history after the 18-year-old beat Michael van Gerwen’s record set at 24.
Barry Hearn has been speaking about Luke Littler ahead of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship gets under way at Alexandra Palace (Image: (George Wood/Getty Images))
He will return to Alexandra Palace on Thursday (December 11) as the reigning world champion, where he faces Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas in the first round.
Fans often dress up for the tournament(Image: PA)
Hearn also said even the Royal Family must pay to enjoy the game at Ally Pally. The darts boss said he gets them asking him for tickets along with Premier League footballers on £300,000 a week who try to “ponce” off him.
But he refuses to be wowed by their status and said: “I make ’em all pay. You want to go to the darts? Give me and the sport the respect it deserves or I’ll see you later… maybe next Tuesday.”
It comes as Littler was picked for back-to-back glory at the World Darts Championship by a psychic pig. Truffle, who correctly picked Littler to win his maiden Sid Waddell trophy last year, has again sniffed out the Nuke for glory at the Alexandra Palace.
But he will have to overcome a bumper field to prove the porky prophet correct.
