Latest news with #CueTracker
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Jimmy White's huge net worth now, young TV presenter girlfriend and 'life-changing' health diagnosis
Jimmy White's huge net worth now, young TV presenter girlfriend and 'life-changing' health diagnosis The snooker legend is in action at the World Seniors Championship this week White has credited his partner with helping to keep him on the straight and narrow (Image: Twitter: @jimmywhite147 ) Snooker legend Jimmy White is back in action on Thursday afternoon as he kicks off his World Seniors Championship campaign at the Crucible Theatre. With the World Snooker Championship wrapped up with Zhao Xintong's first ever world title, it's time for the sport's more senior figures to battle it out for glory in Sheffield. Few are more experienced than 63-year-old White, who is a record four-time winner of the senior tournament, triumphing in three of the last six years of competition. His success at senior level comes after he suffered repeated heartbreak in his earlier career, reaching six World Snooker Championship finals but finishing runner-up on every occasion. Nevertheless, with ten ranking event titles - including the 1984 Masters and the 1992 UK Championship - to his name, 'The Whirlwind' is known as a legend of the game. However, it is not just his flamboyant playing style and big personality that has ensured he will be remembered by snooker fans for years to come, but his eventful personal life. From his battles with gambling and drug addiction to his "life-changing" health diagnosis, huge net worth and glamorous younger partner, here's what you might not know about White's life away from the snooker table. Article continues below Huge net worth Over the course of his 45-year professional career, White has unsurprisingly cashed in a large amount of prize money, with CueTracker putting the total figure at £5.1 million. Having moved into media work in recent years, he has added to his total net worth which is now estimated to be in the region of £6.7 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Having struggled with addictions to drugs and gambling, White has previously admitted to gambling away millions of pounds over the course of his career, leading him to the point of bankruptcy, "I gambled at least three million quid, so if I gambled three million quid I probably had to earn six or seven million to get that,' he told the Anything Goes podcast in 2021. "That's a lump, that's retirement money, so I should be more sick with that. "But because at the time it was going so f***ing quick you don't think do you? I went bankrupt through gambling." On his addiction to cocaine, he told Louis Theroux's documentary Gods of Snooker: "Cocaine was absolutely everywhere. It was like the devil's dandruff, but crack – it's evil. "I tried smoking it and got completely addicted. I remember I had £35,000 in an account and I drained that on crack." Much younger TV presenter girlfriend Following his struggles, White - who is now sober - has credited his partner Jade Slusarczyk with helping to keep him on the straight and narrow. A TV presenter, model and walk-on girl, Slusarczyk is a former Miss Blackpool winner and is 23 years younger than White. They met in 2018 during a snooker tournament in her hometown and started dating, with neither bothered by their considerable age difference. On how his relationship with the 39-year-old had helped him, White told The Sun: "It's impossible to say how much I used to drink in my wild days. It was drink after drink and line after line and I'd go missing for days. It took 15 years to get sober and I don't miss that life at all. "Jade's helped me because she doesn't drink. I've never been so happy and I'm pleased to say my life is in a good place. I haven't got a zillion in the bank but I have my family and Jade. "I didn't think for a minute she'd go out with me, because of the age difference. It's a miracle she fancies me. But she doesn't care about the age difference, so why should I? "She's my girlfriend and she's fit so I'm happy. She's a beautiful girl, inside and out." 'Life changing' health diagnosis Earlier this year, White opened up about being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), something which he says has "completely changed" his life. Appearing on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips podcast, the snooker legend said: "I'm gonna give you an exclusive. I got diagnosed with ADHD about two years ago. "I've had to work. With ADHD you think about 15 things at once. So I'm now down to sort of like normal. I have to be medicated and all that and it's completely changed my life." On how the disorder - which is characterised by symptoms of inattentiveness hyperactivity and impulsiveness - had affected him throughout his career, White added: "When you're under pressure, looking back all these things were going through my mind and all of a sudden I'm starting to miss everything. "The pockets are closing up as I'm hitting them and the balls are getting like footballs. That for me now, looking back, if I'd known what I had I'd have been able to refocus better. That was a big thing." The diagnosis came nearly 30 years after White was told he had testicular cancer, an ordeal which he admits left him "terrified of dying". However, he was able to beat the disease having "caught it early enough", and he was even able to have a fifth child following successful surgery to remove one of his testicles. Article continues below He told the Guardian: 'I discovered I had testicular cancer after finding a lump. It turned out to be two malignant growths and the doctor told me I would have to have the testicle removed. "I was so terrified of dying that I didn't even want to tell my wife, Maureen. Luckily I caught it early enough. I even managed to produce a son - my fifth child - which is a miracle, really.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Higgins' massive net worth and sting operation that rocked sporting world
John Higgins has taken another step towards a fifth world title after making it through to the quarter-finals of this year's World Snooker Championship. The 49-year-old will face Welshman Mark Williams in an enticing last eight match-up on Tuesday, having edged past Xiao Guodong of China with a 13-12 victory in the second round. Higgins is looking to add to the titles he won at the Crucible in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, but faces stiff opposition in Williams, who he lost out to in the World Championship final seven years ago. Having turned professional in 1992, Higgins is now one of the most successful players of all time, with his 33 ranking titles putting him third in the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind only Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry. READ MORE: Mark Williams' huge net worth, career-threatening health condition and entrepreneur wife READ MORE: Shaun Murphy's 'life-saving' surgery, marriage splits and 'unsavoury' escort story In addition to his World Championship titles, he has also won three UK Championships and two Masters titles, with his total of nine Triple Crown wins putting him level with Mark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan, Hendry and Steve Davis. A former world number one, Higgins also spent a record 29 years of his career in the top 16 players globally, only dropping out in September last year. But despite his success at the table, it's fair to say that the Scottish star has not attracted quite the same celebrity status as the likes of O'Sullivan and Hendry, with much of his personal life kept out of the spotlight. However, that is not to say he has led an uneventful life away from the table, having faced plenty of ups and downs over the course of his time in professional snooker. Here's what you need to know. As one of the most successful snooker players of all time, it is unsurprising that Higgins is also one of the most wealthy. Over the course of his 33 year career, he has banked a whopping £10.5 million in prize money, according to CueTracker. Nearly £600,000 of that amount has come this season, making it the second most profitable individual campaign of his career after 2016/17, when he banked just over £650,000. According to reports, Higgins has an estimated net worth of around £8.8 million, making him the eighth richest player of all-time. Having won the World Championship in 2009, Higgins was banned from snooker the following year in a move that sent shockwaves through the sport. The snooker ace - who was the world number one at the time - was at the centre of a sting operation carried out by the News of the World in Ukraine, which the tabloid claimed showed him and his then-manager agreeing to lose specific frames in future matches for money. An investigation followed and Higgins was cleared of match-fixing allegations, with an independent tribunal placing responsibility on his former business partner, Pat Mooney, who received a lifetime ban despite dodging match-fixing charges on a technicality. However, the Scotsman didn't escape punishment altogether as he was found guilty of failing to disclose an invitation to breach the sport's betting rules and giving the impression that he was agreeing to it. As a result, he was hit with a six-month suspension from professional snooker and fined £75,000, as well as additional costs of £10,000. After receiving the ban, Higgins said: "I welcome today's judgment by Sport Resolutions and endorsed by the WPBSA following their exhaustive inquiry into the allegations against me by a tabloid newspaper. "I am pleased that Sport Resolutions and WPBSA have concluded, after a thorough and fair investigation, that I was not guilty of any dishonesty and had no intention to fix a match and no intention to do anything corrupt." Vowing to return to snooker a "stronger person", he added: "I accept the decision to suspend me for six months and impose a fine of £75,000. Those who run WPBSA have made it plain that if the sport is to advance it must be above reproach and those of us playing and involved in snooker must be cleaner than clean. "Those who know me will appreciate that I have tried to encourage and advance snooker. I have tried to be an ambassador for the sport." Describing the ordeal as "traumatic", Higgins said it had been "made all the more hurtful by the knowledge that I never have, and never would, fix a snooker match." He added: "I have been sustained by the love and support of my wife, family and friends." However, the snooker star soon bounced back as he returned from his ban and won the World Championship for a fourth time in 2011. Higgins has been married to his wife Denise since 2010, having met at school as teenagers. They have since welcomed three children - sons Pierce and Oliver and daughter Claudia - and they sometimes join their father at competitions, particularly major championships. While Denise tends to avoid the limelight, she has been a source of unwavering support for her husband throughout his career and has been present for some of his biggest moments as a professional. However, she missed out on seeing him win his 32nd ranking title at the World Open in March, as a logistical error meant she flew out to Hong Kong too late to watch him in action in the final. "It's just a shame, my missus is coming to Hong Kong and she's going to be flying tomorrow while I'll be playing the final," he told the Metro at the time. 'We didn't work that out right, she's getting on a flight today to Hong Kong, so hopefully when she lands I'll have a chance of winning the title.' Higgins suffered heartbreak in February 2011 as his father John Sr passed away following a six-year battle with cancer. He had been competing at the German Masters in Berlin when he was told that his father's condition was deteriorating, leading him to immediately withdraw from the tournament and fly back to Glasgow. Tragically however, he was told of his dad's death as he prepared to board the flight alongside his brother Joe. John Sr had been told he had terminal cancer on the same day that his son was cleared of match-fixing allegations. After winning the UK Championship on his return to the sport, Higgins dedicated his victory to his late father, saying: "This is my finest hour. This is for my dad." The Scottish star also faced a family health scare ahead of this year's World Championship, withdrawing from the media day and skipping the annual pre-tournament festivities like the Champions Dinner and Green Carpet Ceremony after his father-in-law suffered a heart attack days before the opening round. After supporting his wife Denise, Higgins returned to Sheffield to clinch a 10-7 victory over Joe O'Connor in the opening round. Following that win, he was left in tears as he spoke to the BBC and needed consoling by presenter Seema Jaswal. "Obviously my father-in-law wasn't great," he said. "I was sitting having dinner with my boy last night and I was thinking about sitting here with my dad 25 years ago. I was drained today. "I had a couple of hours sleep, I came out tonight feeling much better and definitely played a lot better. I am still so proud that I am still playing at a good level at this age."
Wales Online
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
John Higgins' massive net worth and sting operation that rocked sporting world
John Higgins' massive net worth and sting operation that rocked sporting world The four-time world champion faces Mark Williams in the quarter-finals of this year's World Snooker Championship Higgins is aiming for a fifth world title in Sheffield John Higgins has taken another step towards a fifth world title after making it through to the quarter-finals of this year's World Snooker Championship. The 49-year-old will face Welshman Mark Williams in an enticing last eight match-up on Tuesday, having edged past Xiao Guodong of China with a 13-12 victory in the second round. Higgins is looking to add to the titles he won at the Crucible in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, but faces stiff opposition in Williams, who he lost out to in the World Championship final seven years ago. Having turned professional in 1992, Higgins is now one of the most successful players of all time, with his 33 ranking titles putting him third in the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind only Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry. In addition to his World Championship titles, he has also won three UK Championships and two Masters titles, with his total of nine Triple Crown wins putting him level with Mark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan, Hendry and Steve Davis. A former world number one, Higgins also spent a record 29 years of his career in the top 16 players globally, only dropping out in September last year. But despite his success at the table, it's fair to say that the Scottish star has not attracted quite the same celebrity status as the likes of O'Sullivan and Hendry, with much of his personal life kept out of the spotlight. However, that is not to say he has led an uneventful life away from the table, having faced plenty of ups and downs over the course of his time in professional snooker. Here's what you need to know. Article continues below Massive net worth As one of the most successful snooker players of all time, it is unsurprising that Higgins is also one of the most wealthy. Over the course of his 33 year career, he has banked a whopping £10.5 million in prize money, according to CueTracker. Nearly £600,000 of that amount has come this season, making it the second most profitable individual campaign of his career after 2016/17, when he banked just over £650,000. According to reports, Higgins has an estimated net worth of around £8.8 million, making him the eighth richest player of all-time. Ban from snooker Having won the World Championship in 2009, Higgins was banned from snooker the following year in a move that sent shockwaves through the sport. The snooker ace - who was the world number one at the time - was at the centre of a sting operation carried out by the News of the World in Ukraine, which the tabloid claimed showed him and his then-manager agreeing to lose specific frames in future matches for money. An investigation followed and Higgins was cleared of match-fixing allegations, with an independent tribunal placing responsibility on his former business partner, Pat Mooney, who received a lifetime ban despite dodging match-fixing charges on a technicality. However, the Scotsman didn't escape punishment altogether as he was found guilty of failing to disclose an invitation to breach the sport's betting rules and giving the impression that he was agreeing to it. As a result, he was hit with a six-month suspension from professional snooker and fined £75,000, as well as additional costs of £10,000. After receiving the ban, Higgins said: "I welcome today's judgment by Sport Resolutions and endorsed by the WPBSA following their exhaustive inquiry into the allegations against me by a tabloid newspaper. "I am pleased that Sport Resolutions and WPBSA have concluded, after a thorough and fair investigation, that I was not guilty of any dishonesty and had no intention to fix a match and no intention to do anything corrupt." Vowing to return to snooker a "stronger person", he added: "I accept the decision to suspend me for six months and impose a fine of £75,000. Those who run WPBSA have made it plain that if the sport is to advance it must be above reproach and those of us playing and involved in snooker must be cleaner than clean. "Those who know me will appreciate that I have tried to encourage and advance snooker. I have tried to be an ambassador for the sport." Describing the ordeal as "traumatic", Higgins said it had been "made all the more hurtful by the knowledge that I never have, and never would, fix a snooker match." He added: "I have been sustained by the love and support of my wife, family and friends." However, the snooker star soon bounced back as he returned from his ban and won the World Championship for a fourth time in 2011. Childhood sweetheart wife Higgins has been married to his wife Denise since 2010, having met at school as teenagers. They have since welcomed three children - sons Pierce and Oliver and daughter Claudia - and they sometimes join their father at competitions, particularly major championships. While Denise tends to avoid the limelight, she has been a source of unwavering support for her husband throughout his career and has been present for some of his biggest moments as a professional. However, she missed out on seeing him win his 32nd ranking title at the World Open in March, as a logistical error meant she flew out to Hong Kong too late to watch him in action in the final. "It's just a shame, my missus is coming to Hong Kong and she's going to be flying tomorrow while I'll be playing the final," he told the Metro at the time. 'We didn't work that out right, she's getting on a flight today to Hong Kong, so hopefully when she lands I'll have a chance of winning the title.' Devastating family tragedy Higgins suffered heartbreak in February 2011 as his father John Sr passed away following a six-year battle with cancer. He had been competing at the German Masters in Berlin when he was told that his father's condition was deteriorating, leading him to immediately withdraw from the tournament and fly back to Glasgow. Tragically however, he was told of his dad's death as he prepared to board the flight alongside his brother Joe. John Sr had been told he had terminal cancer on the same day that his son was cleared of match-fixing allegations. After winning the UK Championship on his return to the sport, Higgins dedicated his victory to his late father, saying: "This is my finest hour. This is for my dad." The Scottish star also faced a family health scare ahead of this year's World Championship, withdrawing from the media day and skipping the annual pre-tournament festivities like the Champions Dinner and Green Carpet Ceremony after his father-in-law suffered a heart attack days before the opening round. After supporting his wife Denise, Higgins returned to Sheffield to clinch a 10-7 victory over Joe O'Connor in the opening round. Following that win, he was left in tears as he spoke to the BBC and needed consoling by presenter Seema Jaswal. "Obviously my father-in-law wasn't great," he said. "I was sitting having dinner with my boy last night and I was thinking about sitting here with my dad 25 years ago. I was drained today. Article continues below "I had a couple of hours sleep, I came out tonight feeling much better and definitely played a lot better. I am still so proud that I am still playing at a good level at this age."
Wales Online
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Judd Trump earns huge six-figure sum after playing just two matches at World Championship
Judd Trump earns huge six-figure sum after playing just two matches at World Championship The world number one has already secured himself a bumper payday at the Crucible Trump has now won over £1.5 million this season World number one Judd Trump has banked himself a cool £100,000 at the World Snooker Championship, despite only being halfway through his second match at the tournament. The 35-year-old currently leads Shaun Murphy 10-6 in their last-16 tie heading into Monday, meaning he is just three frames away from progressing to the quarter-final. If he can hold on for the win, he is set to face Luca Brecel in the last eight, with the Belgian now just needing a single frame to ease past Ding Junhui into the next round. Those who make it through to the quarter-finals at the Crucible earn £50,000 in the process, but Trump has already secured double that sum by sealing a bonus during his match with Murphy on Sunday. Article continues below In the penultimate frame of the night, 'The Ace in the Pack' scored his 100th century break of the season, which secured him the six-figure bonus payout as well as a standing ovation from the packed crowd in Sheffield. Trump has started the match on 98 centuries and came agonisingly close to reaching the landmark as he made a 98 in the eighth frame before just missing out again with an 89 in frame 10 and 97 in the 12th. However, he kept his cool and recorded back-to-back centuries with a 106 in the 14th frame and a 132 in the 15th, with BBC commentator John Virgo describing it as a "masterclass". At the start of the season, the World Snooker Tour announced it would pay out £100,000 to any players that reached a century of centuries, a feat that had been achieved only twice before. Neil Robertson was the first to hit the landmark by making 103 centuries during the 2013/14 campaign, while Trump is now the second and third person to pull it off, having previously made 102 in the 2019/20 season. After beating Zhou Yuelong in the first round, Trump was asked how big an achievement making 100 centuries again would be for him. "It would be way better than the achievement last time because I played far more tournaments and far more games [than 2019/20]," he said. "I don't know how many games I played this season, but it would have to be a record as I've missed three or four tournaments. "I didn't target it at all, I didn't think it was a possibility. I didn't want to be in contention but after the Championship League, I didn't expect the pockets to be so big, and the centuries were flying in for everyone." Article continues below Trump has now won over £1.5 million so far this season, with the £500,000 he received for winning the Saudi Arabia Masters his biggest payday of the campaign so far. He is estimated to have a net worth of around £10 million, having earned more than £8 million in prize money over the past two decades, according to CueTracker. However, he could further add to that sum with another run to the World Championship title, with the winner of this year's tournament taking home a whopping £500,000.
The Irish Sun
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Who is snooker star Chris Wakelin and what is his net worth 2025?
CHRIS WAKELIN is a snooker player from Rugby, Warwickshire, who is currently ranked as the world No 20. The 33-year-old recently lost to eventual winner John Higgins in the 2025 Tour Championship Snooker but was brilliant in beating Neil Robertson in round one of the World Championships. 2 Chris Wakelin won his first ranking tournament in 2023. Credit: Getty 2 Chris Wakelin has been on the scene since 2013/14 Credit: Getty Wakelin won his first ranking tournament in 2023, over 10 years after his debut. Despite being one of the best snooker players in the world in 2025, he once made a living delivery groceries with Asda. SunSport can reveal Wakelin's net worth in 2025. Who is Chris Wakelin? Chris Wakelin is a 33-year-old snooker player from Rugby, Warwickshire. Read more Snooker He made his debut in the the 2013/14 season, but lost his opening match in all but one of his ranking appearances. He won his first ranking title at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out. Wakelin was famously once He played throughout the youth ranks, but gave it up when he was 17, instead supporting himself financially with Asda. Most read in Snooker What is Chris Wakelin's net worth in 2025? According to CueTracker, Wakelin has won £889,390 throughout his career to date. The snooker star from Rugby won his first ranking tournament in 2023 when he son the Snooker Shoot Out.
