Darts star Fallon Sherrock has warned Luke Littler he's likely to have just a 'small circle of friends' as a result of his fame.
The 17-year-old has enjoyed a stunning rise over the past 12 months, reaching the final of the World Darts Championship back in January before proceeding to win the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Littler is currently back in the spotlight after his recent split from girlfriend Eloise Milburn.
The youngster and Eloise have separated after 10 months of dating, with Littler forced to tell angry fans to cut her some slack after she was bombarded with abuse.
Luke Littler has been warned he faces having just a 'small circle of friends' amid his recent split from Eloise Milburn
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Sherrock, speaking to Sky Sports, has warned Littler that people he thinks are friends will actually be out to get him.
And she also feels the youngster may have to settle for a 'small circle' instead.
"You'll find you have loads of friends and then you'll find you end up with a small circle, because of how many true friends you actually have," said Sherrock.
"That's another thing Luke will find out. He probably had loads of people he thought were good for him where he'll find out their true colours and stuff like that.
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"I think he's doing really well at the moment. He's got a good support base and he's going in the right direction.
"I just hope he doesn't let social media get to him too much."
Sherrock herself has suffered from some vile abuse on social media.
And she's told Littler to drown out any negative noise from outside as he looks to establish himself as a legend of the game.
"To be fair, it is quite nice to be on the backseat [to Luke Littler in terms of limelight] and not have all the hate for a change," she said.
"The only advice I could give him is just to carry on. Don't listen to socials, try not to be caught up with everything.
"Still do your social media, all your publicising and stuff, but keep your head on the game.
"Don't let anything get you down. There are going to be circumstances that happen in his life, but don't focus on that and keep your eye on the prize."
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Luke Littler is a man on the up after winning the Premier League back in May
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Littler recently lost to Michael van Gerwen at the World Matchplay in Blackpool, with the teenager cutting a frustrated figure as he crashed to defeat.
However, he has since bounced back by winning a local darts tournament.
Littler paid just £20 to enter the tournament and won the men's singles to secure the £1,000 prize money.
Luke Littler recently split from girlfriend Eloise Milburn after 10 months of dating
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Writing on Instagram, Littler made it clear he enjoyed himself.
"Some weekend," he wrote.
"Winning the warm up men's event and the Cheshire Open men's singles, good see all my fellow team-mates from Cheshire."
