Kyren Wilson opens up on how partying after winning 2024 World Snooker Championship nearly ended in divorce - 'I went off the rails'
Published 17/04/2025 at 09:24 GMT+1
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In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Kyren Wilson has admitted that partying too hard after winning last year's World Snooker Championship had a detrimental effect on his life on and off the table. The Warrior says harsh words from his wife led to him knuckling down, when they had previously spoken about going their 'separate ways'. He is looking to defend his world title this April and May.
'It went off the rails' - Wilson reveals personal struggles after World Championship win
Video credit: TNT Sports
Kyren Wilson has revealed how partying after winning last year's World Snooker Championship nearly cost him his marriage.
The 33-year-old lifted the title for the first time when he beat Jak Jones 18-14 in the final in Sheffield.
The result led to some wild celebrations in his home town of Kettering.
Speaking exclusively to TNT Sports ahead of his attempt to defend his crown, Wilson admitted the party probably went on too long and had a detrimental impact on his life both on and off the table.
"I think afterwards, maybe I was searching for the high that becoming a world champion gave me," he said. "I kind of went off the rails a little bit for a while.
"I'll be honest, me and Sophie had a few words [about] could we be going our separate ways at one point? You have to rein it in and remember you're a father, you're a husband, you're a professional.
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"It's not easy. You've reached the pinnacle and there's so much excitement around you. It's just such a buzz. And then it does slowly die down. It's natural that it's slowly going to die down.
"Yeah, absolutely [you can feel empty after having the highs]. But the right high to search for is then going on to win again. I won quite early on in Xi'an, and all of a sudden I was like, right, that's the high I've been searching for again.
"She [Sophie] kind of knuckled me down, about two or three weeks before Xi'an. She said, 'Look, it's time to knuckle down. You're a world champion, you're a professional, get on with it.'
"I did. I knuckled down, got back to the practice table and I went on to win that tournament.
"It's scary, because I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. We've been together, I think, 16 years. Bearing in mind we're 33 and 32, that's a long time.
"She's an amazing mother, an amazing partner, and very good for my career."
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'Tears are flowing!' - Wilson clinches Crucible glory with emotional celebrations
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Wilson made his route to the 2024 world title look a straightforward one.
He beat Dominic Dale 10-1 in the first round, before registering further comfortable victories over Joe O'Connor (13-6) and John Higgins (13-8).
The semi-final brought about a 17-11 success over Dave Gilbert, setting up his clash with Jones.
In that match, he raced into a 7-1 lead in the first session, and although his opponent clawed things back as the finishing line drew closer, he always believed he would get his hands on the trophy.
"I didn't [feel like it would slip away from me]," he insisted. "I think maybe the final session, you're almost thinking, 'Come on now, it's there; it's [in] reaching distance.'
"That's when I maybe felt it. But I still knew I was going to win it. I just absolutely knew I was going to win. It was my time. No one was going to stop me.
"That's how my mindset was and I feel like you've got to be like that to win the title, because it's such a daunting prospect.
"I was very proud that I managed to get rid of those demons that could have crept in, that I'm sure past champions have had, and got over the line.
"[My dad] was refusing to come down [to celebrate], so I think four security guards lifted him over the barrier to get him over, which was brilliant.
"One thing that I always remember is that my kids ran on, and I remember cuddling them under my arms, bending down and I remember Finley shouting in my ear: 'Dad, you've done it, you're world champion!'
"I will never forget that. That was amazing!
"Sophie is a massive crier, and she didn't cry! Maybe she knew. It was just such a great raw family moment and something that will live with me forever."
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Wilson pays emotional tribute to family after World Championship glory
Video credit: TNT Sports
'I lost the plot for a little while!'
The main draw for the 2025 edition of the World Championship gets underway on Saturday, April 19, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Wilson goes into the tournament looking to become the first player to win back-to-back titles since Mark Selby in 2017 and 2018, and the first-ever first-time winner to defend his title in the Crucible era.
He certainly heads to Sheffield in good form, in part thanks to an epic 10-9 victory over Judd Trump in the Players Championship final in March.
That was The Warrior's fourth title of the 2024/25 season, whereas the World Championship was his only crown from the previous campaign.
"It was really frustrating last season, because I knew that my form was there," he continued. "You don't make 80 centuries in the season and not be there or there abouts.
"I couldn't understand it, but I think there was a lot of chaos behind the scenes. I was changing cues, changing tips. I remember putting a glove on at one point. I lost the plot for a little while!
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'I'll never forget this moment' - Wilson reflects on glory at Crucible
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"I feel like to play this game at a high level, you need your boxes to be as empty as possible in your own mind. If you go out there and you've got so much going on, it's the worst place in the world to be.
"If you can be there quite free in your own mind, you can let the snooker do the talking then."
The draw for the 2025 World Snooker Championship takes place on Thursday, April 17.
Wilson will be joined in the field by a number of other former winners, including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, John Higgins and Mark Williams.
A number of other challengers are competing for their place in Sheffield too, with the qualifying rounds concluding on Wednesday, April 16.
That event has thrown up a moment of history, with Jackson Page becoming the first player to make two maximum 147 breaks in the same match.
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Page completes second 147 of match to make history and scoop £147,000 Triple Crown bonus
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Whoever he faces, Wilson knows he will not have an easy match as he attempts to avoid a first-round exit, the same fate which felled defending champion Luca Brecel last year.
Whatever happens at the Crucible, though, Wilson knows winning the 2024 tournament has shown everybody what he is capable of.
"It's changed my life dramatically," he concluded. "Personally, I feel like I don't have anything to prove anymore.
"Chasing that world title, you feel like you're always dubbed as one of those that could potentially win it, but not only that, I've gone on to kick on and be very successful afterwards, which has really helped.
"I feel like the people of Kettering and locally, even Northamptonshire, because I'm based in Northampton at the snooker club, Barratts, I have so much support [from them].
"They're so kind to me and my family. I couldn't ask for any more really."
Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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