Inside Luke Littler's breakdown as darts sensation reveals all on shock moment he didn't want to be on stage

Luke Littler has revealed the stunning moment he didn’t want to be on the Ally Pally stage.

The 17-year-old is back home chilling for Christmas after his emotionally-charged return to the World Darts Championships. After being overwhelmed and shedding tears following his win over Ryan Meikle, Littler explained the strains which have built. He said: “All week I was looking forward and excited to play on the stage with no nerves. Train journey down here was fine. Be myself. Then, as soon as I got on that stage, it was like 'I don’t want to be here'. That game was probably the most important game I have ever played.

"In my head, it was tough. But I just dragged myself over the line. Throughout the game there were nerves. The crowd had never been like that for me. When I was leading up to it, I was perfectly fine, then it was 'game on', the bottom’s gone. It fell out. Throughout the year, it has been fine. Saturday was something different. That was something else.”

Littler has sparked an explosion of mini-Nukes into launching darts on Christmas Day, but he won’t be going near a board himself. The same excruciating hype which brought Saturday’s waterworks has also brought a nation of children to the game with his face on unwrapped presents across Britain. Littler-mania has swept the UK with ASDA have announced a staggering 1,900 per cent increase on the sales of dartboards and put it squarely down to the teenager’s popularity and stardom.

He admitted: “It’s been crazy, I don’t know how much Target have let go to the likes of Argos, all those other places. I know Smyths have done an awful lot. I know I have done a lot. I am the only one to bring out a magnetic board. As the youngster it was always the thing I used.

“When I was