'I banked £500,000 for winning World Snooker Championship – then I lost millionaire status'
Luca Brecel became a millionaire overnight when he won the World Snooker Championship in 2023, but his millionaire status did not last too long after he splashed the cash
Zhao Xintong must take a valuable lesson from Luca Brecel before he decides what to spend his World Snooker Championship winnings on. The Chinese sensation will still be celebrating his victory after overcoming Mark Williams 18-12.
Before he decides on what he wants to spend his £500,000 prize on, he should remember Brecel's intense celebrations. After becoming a millionaire with his win at the Crucible, Brecel quickly saw his seven-figure fortunes dwindle. Back in 2023, Brecel stunned fans by taking down Mark Selby 18-15 to win his maiden world championship.
The Belgian made history as the first player from continental Europe to claim the title. He showed potential for another run to the final, but Judd Trump halted him at the quarter-finals this year.
After winning the championship in 2023, the 'Belgian Bullet' decided to splash the cash on luxury cars, resulting in his millionaire status being no more.
In a candid confession prior to defending his title last year, he said: "I bought two more cars this week, so I went from a millionaire to a non-millionaire."
Reportedly, Brecel splurged over £250,000 on a swift Ferrari 488, dropped £80,000 for a Range Rover, and acquired a Porsche Taycan GT for his girlfriend Laura Vanoverberghe, which was rumoured to cost about £111,000.
Yet, his fleet of cars do not often see the road. In an interview with The Sun, Brecel admitted: "I got a couple of cars with my winnings. I got a Ferrari and a couple of others. Just to enjoy myself. I don't really drive it that often. I'm not really home that much."
Brecel pocketed a cool £50,000 for making it to the last eight at the Crucible this year – a tidy sum, but just a slice of his 2023 earnings. The Belgian ace was all in to cause a stir at this year's showdown, after an inconsistent last two years.
He certainly turned heads when he rocked up at the Crucible in a swanky private jet, even throwing out an invite on social media for other people to hitch a ride.
His lavish lifestyle has raised eyebrows before, with snooker icon Stephen Hendry criticising the player's focus. The seven-time world champion said: "I honestly don't know what he's (Brecel) doing with his career.
"I haven't got a clue. I see him a lot on Instagram, he's riding his bike all over the place, he's going out to dinners with his girlfriend, he seems to be having a lovely time."
While his spending is lavish, Brecel insists his life is relatively low maintenance. He said: "To be honest, I live quite a simple life, apart from the cars maybe.
"I just love being at home when I have the chance to be at home. Walk the dog, watch a bit of television, play a few games. A pretty basic life, to be honest. It may not look like that, but it is."
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As a result, writer Sam Levinson has placed a time jump, launching the troubled teenage group into adulthood. Sydney has since sparked rumours that, despite their physically and mentally abusive relationship, her character Cassie is set to marry Nate, with the actress being spotted in a wedding gown on set. 'It's also a reminder that not all kinks are overtly sexual. Many are about connection, power dynamics, fantasy, or even just fascination. "Someone buying Sydney Sweeney's bathwater soap might not be using it for anything sexual at all - they might just feel closer to her, or enjoy the taboo, playful nature of the idea. "Kinks are incredibly diverse, and they don't always fit into what we consider 'sexual behaviour'. "Sometimes, it's about curiosity, ritual, or even a bit of fun rebellion against what's 'normal.' 'If you think about it celebrity culture is full of kink-adjacent behaviour. "From people collecting toenail clippings on eBay to sniffing old concert t-shirts, this kind of thing is just a more commercial version of what fans have been doing for decades. "Sydney's just owning it - and having a bit of cheeky fun with it too." 'She understands the irony' Branding expert Mr Ede told us: "I think someone like Sydney Sweeney has also got quite a good sense of humour. "I think she understands the kind of irony of her celebrity, and she also understands that a show like Euphoria, for instance, which is pretty sexual, will have had people fall in love with her because of her character. She is a sex symbol. "People have slipped into her DMs or commented on social media posts, saying, 'Oh, wouldn't mind a bit of your bath water', you know. "It's a bit like when, years ago, when people threw knickers at Tom Jones, or asked people for their underwear, it's a modern progression of that." He went on to say: "It's got a little bit of salt burn in it, which sounds a bit strange, but it feels like that with the bath water. "It is a bit naughty, but you know we've seen it before with somebody like Gwyneth Paltrow and her famous candle that smelled of her vagina, which sold out in minutes. "Now with celebrity, it's all about the fans. It's all about actually getting them engaged, and this is a good way of connecting with them. In every way this is good PR." Mr Ede said Ms Sweeney selling her bathwater could be seen as being "quite empowering, because this has come from Sydney herself". "This is not some guy who works in a hotel and has gone into her bath and taken a jar of it and gone 'right, I'm going to sell it.' "This is somebody who's gone: 'Actually, this is quite fun. I'm going to do it. Let's see what we can do. And let's create some noise about it.'" Mr Ede said platforms like OnlyFans - previously "frowned" upon, have given content creators control "of their own creation". "They've allowed for it to happen, it doesn't feel sleazy." Asked how exactly the bathwater would've been collected, the expert said: "I don't think she had a full on bath. "Who knows whether she was singing in the bath for a while, but I'd be interested to see actually how much essence of Sydney Sweeney has gone into that soap." Referring to some of the backlash the actress has garnered on social media by the decision, Mr Ede said: "It's something that's going to follow her forever, and I don't know whether that's going to be negative or positive." He added: "Who knows? We might see some other stars dipping their toes in things that aren't just bath water. "For some talent I would say it would be cheapening their brand, but she (Ms Sweeney) has used social media to really engage her fans. It's a case of you asked for it, now here it is for you. 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