Revealed: How dinner with his theatre student son, 20, sparked snooker star John Higgins’ TV tears, as he breaks down in another interview opening up on family heartache
This year’s Snooker World Championship has proven an emotional one for John Higgins and the four-time champion was reduced to tears once more on television on Easter Monday night.
Higgins overcame an emotionally-charged clash with Joe O’Connor to win 10-7 and reach the last 16 of the iconic tournament.
The legendary Scot is battling family issues at the moment with his father-in-law having suffered a heart attack last week and his wife not at the Crucible for the World Championship as a result.
Higgins’ second son Oliver is in Sheffield though to show his support. The pair went for dinner on Sunday and talking about that experience saw Higgins choke up on TV. Higgins lost his father, John Sr, to cancer after a six-year battle in February 2011.
Reflecting after his win to TNT Sports, he said: ‘There was a moment last night when I was sitting with my boy [Oliver], he’s going down to London studying for a few months.
‘It brought so many memories back, when I was sitting with my dad 20 years ago. This morning on my way over I was in tears, thinking about different things. I was totally drained.
John Higgins had to fight back the tears as he opened up about his family heartache on TV
Higgins had dinner with his second son Oliver the night before and reflecting on that made him emotional
Higgins pulled out of events before the tournament after his wife’s father had a heart attack – the Scot is pictured with his family including his wife (second left) earlier this month
Higgins is pictured with his wife and kids in November 2016 after beating Ronnie O’Sullivan to win silverware
‘To get out (of the first session) 5-4 was a result because Joe was playing brilliant. I got back to my apartment and crawled into bed, and slept for two hours which was the best sleep I have had in years. Tonight I felt so much better.’
That emotional moment was the second time Higgins had shown his vulnerability on TV, having done so earlier.
The 49-year-old was out of sorts in losing the morning session 5-4 to O’Connor but returned later in the day to turn things around and admitted afterwards he was battling strong feelings.
After edging 6-5 ahead, he finally produced a break of note with a century in the 12th frame.
Although his opponent, who had been on course for the 15th 147 in Crucible history until he missed a 13th red in the morning, fought back to 7-7, the veteran Scot pulled through to win the final three frames.
‘That was the most emotional I have ever been today,’ Higgins, who came into this year’s tournament in top form after clinching the Tour Championship title earlier this month, told BBC Sport before breaking down.
There had been doubts over whether Higgins would take part in this month’s competition at all ahead of his opening match.
The family emergency saw him miss the Green Carpet ceremony ahead of the tournament, as well as the pre-event media day after deciding to remain in Scotland.
John Higgins had an emotional day at the Crucible which ended with a hug live on-air from presenter Seema Jaswal on BBC Two
Higgins lost his own father – John Senior – to cancer after a six-year battle in February 2011
Higgins will now face China’s Xiao Guodong in the Round of 16 as he looks to make more Crucible history this year.
Should the 49-year-old go all the way in the World Championship, he will become the oldest ever winner of the competition.
Higgins’ emotional outpouring came after a bizarre clash with O’Connor, in which Higgins’ less-experienced rival seemingly handed him a golden opportunity to knock him out.
The favourite failed to get out of a snooker, hitting the pink while playing the ball at pace and leaving the cue ball in an awkward position.
The rules dictate that O’Connor could have asked Higgins to then take the ensuing shot as he had not missed the target ball, which would have been a very tricky shot, but instead decided to risk it himself.
With a tricky pink on offer, O’Connor’s gamble did not pay off, and he ultimately missed and gave Higgins a great opportunity to seal the frame, with legend Steve Davis clearly perplexed by the decision.
‘The thing I cannot understand is why did Joe not put John back in?’ Davis asked on commentary.
The 49-year-old benefited from a bizarre call from his opponent to seal a tight 10-7 victory
But the four-time world champion came through to set up a Last-16 clash with Xiao Guodong
The Scottish veteran revealed that he had undergone a difficult day as a result of a family emergency
Rival Joe O’Connor decided against putting Higgins back in after a failed snooker escape
‘It’s not a foul and a miss because he needed snookers. John played it with pace. The cue ball goes into a nasty position.
‘Joe could have said, ‘you play that shot’. That was strange.
‘You stop making the correct decision under pressure with the positional side. That was unforgivable, not to put your opponent back in. He sacrificed the safety exchange.
‘John would have been expected to have been put back in.’
