I’m a snooker star and I could have died without ‘extreme’ surgery

SHAUN MURPHY says stomach reduction surgery saved his life as it curbed a serious food addiction.

The 2005 world snooker champion had the pioneering operation on May 10 last year, just eight days after Ronnie O’Sullivan lifted a sixth Crucible crown.

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Rather than opt for a temporary solution — one choice was a gastric balloon — he went for an “extreme” and “irreversible” measure.

It meant medics “removed 80 per cent of my stomach” which means, he says, his four-year-old daughter Molly “has a bigger stomach than me now”.

As a result of having to eat smaller portion sizes, Murphy has plummeted from 20st to 15st.

The Magician, 40, explained: “Over the years I got to the point where I hated myself.

“I was in a lot of pain. The weight was the primary cause of that problem.

“I got to the point where I couldn’t run around after my kids. I became that bloke who couldn’t bend down to tie his shoelaces.

“It was completely demoralising. I couldn’t get out of this spiral of self-loathing.

“So I took a very big decision to have gastric-sleeve surgery.

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“It was a big, big move that some would say was too drastic but I had reached the point of no return.

“I needed to do something serious. I couldn’t stop eating and I couldn’t stop drinking. I was in a deep depression.

“It might be too extreme to say it saved my life but that’s how it feels. And I wish I had done it 20 years ago.”

Murphy, who provided expert analysis on last night’s world final for the BBC, tried numerous methods.

There were milkshake replacements, visits to Weight Watchers and Slimming World as well as help groups, hypnosis and podcasts.

He continued: “A lot of people out there don’t see food in the same sphere as alcohol or gambling but it is. I was addicted to eating.

“Mark Allen and I used to joke that we would commiserate and celebrate with Domino’s pizzas.

“You can’t drink ten pints of Guinness five nights a week and have Domino’s four nights and live to tell the tale.

“There’s a history of heart disease in the family. Both my grandad and my father had a heart attack in their mid-50s.

“All I can do is tip the scales in my favour.

“When that addiction or dependency grabs you, it’s very hard to let go.”

Though he was defeated last month by Chinese rookie Si Jiahui in the first round of the Worlds, Murphy ends this season with two trophies — the Players Championship and Tour Championship.

Ranked fourth in the world, he can prepare for the 2023-24 campaign knowing he has been producing some of his best snooker for years.

Murphy said: “Due to the surgery, I can eat anything I want but I just can’t eat as much. I feel full immediately.

“Those all-you-can-eat buffets are just a waste of time on me now because I almost get full on the smell!

“My self-esteem has gone up — it’s made me a better bloke and a better snooker player.”