Luke Littler breaks down in tears as he reveals tragic loss of family friend in emotional post-match interview after devastating defeat by Peter Wright in German Darts Championship final

Luke Littler could not hold back the tears after being beaten by Peter Wright in the final of the Germany Darts Championship on Sunday night.

Littler, 17, appeared to be on course for victory after moving into a 5-2 lead in the race to eight legs.

But Wright reeled off six straight legs to complete a remarkable 8-5 win, and Littler was visibly devastated after the loss.

In his post-match interview on stage, an emotional Littler opened up on the recent loss of a family friend as he was consoled by the announcer.

Littler said: ‘I have got to give a massive shout out to my friend Ellis. He lost his dad. I’ve known him since I was three or four.’

He later took to Instagram to post a photo of himself with his friend Ellis (right), whose dad recently passed away

Littler was speaking after losing the German Darts Championship final to Peter Wright (pictured), who also broke down in tears earlier in the night

The teenage star subsequently took to Instagram to post a photo of himself alongside Ellis as he sent a message out to his followers.

‘Not looking for sympathy or anything I was just trying to say how my best mate has lost his dad at such a young age, I’ve known Ellis since we both was 3, 4 and it’s been on my mind all week the strongest lad I know and just couldn’t get the job done as I would of liked,’ he wrote.

Littler was not the only one in tears on the night as Wright also gave an emotional interview following his quarter-final victory over Michael van Gerwen.

The two-time world champion saw off Van Gerwen to book his place in the last four and had his name chanted by fans in the immediate aftermath of his win.

Wright acknowledged the crowd and wiped away tears with a towel as he vowed that he was ‘on my way back’ after a difficult year that saw him finish bottom of the Premier League table.

He managed to regather his composure to seal a spot in the final against Littler, and then mounted a stunning comeback to claim the second German Darts Championship title of his career.