John Higgins has endured controversies during his glittering snooker career, including a flare-up with the BBC and a ban from the sport

John Higgins holds a legendary status in snooker history as one of the sport’s all-time icons since turning professional in 1992. With an impressive 33 ranking titles to his name, he sits behind only Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry in the record books.

The four-time world champion initially entered the top 16 in 1995, maintaining his spot there for over 29 years. Last week he reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship but lost to Shaun Murphy in a thrilling 17-15 defeat.

We examine the Scotsman’s lengthy and dramatic career, which includes a six-month suspension and an acrimonious row with the BBC, while also exploring his views on retirement, his net worth, and his family life.

Ban from snooker

In 2010, Higgins encountered a suspension following News of the World allegations that he had consented to deliberately losing specific frames in matches for financial gain. He was eventually exonerated by an independent tribunal, which instead attributed responsibility to his former business partner, Pat Mooney, who received a lifetime ban despite escaping match-fixing charges on a technicality.

While Higgins was cleared of agreeing to accept a bribe and participating in corrupt or fraudulent conduct, he didn’t emerge completely unscathed. The snooker star was deemed guilty of failing to report an illegal approach and intentionally creating the impression that he was prepared to act in breach of betting regulations.

Consequently, the Scot received a six-month suspension and was fined £75,000, along with additional costs of £10,000. Resolute about returning even “stronger” after his ban, Higgins described the experience as “traumatic” and stated: “It has been made all the more hurtful by the knowledge that I never have, and never would, fix a snooker match.”

Fury with the BBC

Controversy erupted involving Higgins and the BBC after the broadcaster incorrectly identified him as English during a World Snooker Championship encounter in 2022. Throughout a clash with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, the BBC showed a St George’s Cross next to his name, leaving the passionately proud Scotsman furious.

He raged: “England? Am I allowed to swear? God, they better get that changed pronto. That’s poor isn’t it? That’s really poor from the BBC. Very poor.” The mistake was swiftly corrected the next day, with the Scottish flag displayed during the coverage as Higgins clinched a 10-7 win and advanced to the second round.

Position on retirement

Higgins, 50, seems to have no plans whatsoever to hang up his cue. After his loss to Kyren Wilson in the 2024 World Snooker Championship, he made clear that walking away from the table wasn’t being considered.

“I’m committing to playing snooker now and I’m committing to trying to get back here,” he explained. “I don’t want that to be my final match at the Crucible, so I’ll still be playing snooker. I think it [retirement] is [a long time away].

“There can be other things happening off the table that can be clouding your decisions, but right now it’s a long way away. The sport will have to retire me before I retire myself, simple as that.”

Impressive net worth

While Higgins may not match the wealth of some of his leading rivals, he still commands a considerable net worth that dwarfs the majority of snooker professionals. Casino.org reported in 2024 that Higgins has amassed approximately £8.8million, positioning him as the eighth-richest player in the sport’s history.

The website placed him ahead of Mark Williams, who has an estimated net worth of £7.1m, while retired legend Steve Davis leads the rankings with an estimated £26m. Stephen Hendry is close behind with £25.5m, and Ronnie O’Sullivan occupies sixth spot with £11.2m.

Family life

Higgins has been happily married to his wife Denise since 2010, with their relationship beginning when the pair first encountered each other as teenagers at Wishaw High School. Denise predominantly remains away from the spotlight, yet has proved an invaluable source of support throughout Higgins’s career, providing encouragement during times when his passion for the sport has waned.

The couple share three children: sons Pierce and Oliver, and daughter Claudia, who sometimes join their father at snooker competitions, especially during major championships.

Higgins endured the heartbreaking loss of his father to cancer following a six-year struggle in February 2011. He frantically tried to get back from Berlin, where he had been playing in the German Masters, only to learn the tragic news of his father’s death as he stepped onto a flight home to Glasgow.

He also maintains a close relationship with his in-laws, as demonstrated by his emotional response after his win over O’Connor this week, when he became tearful and needed comforting from presenter Seema Jaswal.

Higgins openly said: “That was the most emotional I have ever been today. I left my wife and I was in tears. Obviously my father-in-law wasn’t great. 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 and I came out tonight and felt a lot better and played a lot better. I am still so proud that I am still playing at a good level at this age.”

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This Morning presenter Dermot O’Leary has taken another gastronomic tour of Ireland for his Taste Of Ireland series – and has happened upon what he thinks is one of the greatest towns in the world

With his Taste Of Ireland show now streaming on ITVX, This Morning host Dermot O’Leary has been reminiscing about the family holidays along Ireland’s wild west coast that he enjoyed as a child.

But he also made some fascinating new discoveries as he drove between the various locations of the show. When it comes to finding the best of a country, Dermot says, the trick is not to rush.

“We have this brilliant producer called Conall, who was our fixer over there,” Dermot told broadcaster Holly Rubenstein on her Travel Diaries podcast. “Conall is amazing, he’s brilliant. It’s always great to have a local fixer.

“But the problem with a local fixer is, they are used to seeing what they’re seeing. So he’d happily drive 70 miles an hour through the most beautiful part of the island. So I kept saying to him, would you just slow down?”

One of the spots that Dermot found, once he had persuaded Conall to take his foot off the gas, was an especially picturesque town in County Antrim.

Dermot told Holly: “I think my favourite town was a little town called Ballycastle, which is this gorgeous little beach town, almost straight out of New England.

“You know, it’s a real, not clapboard. It was very Irish, but full of lovely independent bakeries and shops.”

He added that Ballycastle, which lies at roughly the midpoint of the Causeway Coastal Route and sits an hour north of Belfast, would be the kind of town that would be great to grow up in.

Dermot is by no means the first to praise the virtues of the town. Ballycastle has been featured by The Sunday Times on their “Best Places To Live” list, and has been previously crowned the overall regional winner for Northern Ireland.

One of the town’s notable features is a sculpture, sited close to the beach, depicting the legendary Children of Lir.

And Lir is also the name of one of Demot’s all-time favourite restaurant, about half an hour up the road in Coleraine.

He continues: “They’re sort of nose to tail seafood, which is pretty much my idea of heaven… the dips for the mayo and aioli at the start were like pollock skin or cod skin or something. It’s just like crispy, deep crispy, really salty, really good.”

It’s the quest for great restaurants and local specialities that drives Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, which started its second series on Saturday May 2.

The show’s first episode saw Dermot set off on gastronomic tour of the island of Ireland, beginning at Blackhead Lighthouse in Co Antrim, taking in the sweeping views before taking a tour along the Causeway Coastal Route.

In the Glens of Antrim, he joins a sixth-generation farmer preserving traditional methods on his heritage farm, then continues on to Glenarm Castle, where chef Paula McIntyre fires up the smoker for some world-famous Glenarm beef, paired with a vibrant runner bean salad.

Humber Coastguard says seals like to relax on the beaches in good weather where they are seen by people also enjoying the seaside who think the marine mammals are in trouble and ring 999.

That connects them to the coastguard, the marine emergency service for humans.

“We’ve had a high number of calls recently about seals that turned out to be perfectly fine,” said Michael Niblett from HM Coastguard

“Seals often come ashore to rest, and approaching them can actually cause them stress or even lead to aggressive behaviour.”

“Please think carefully before calling 999 for the Coastguard about a seal that appears healthy. It can take valuable time away from genuine emergencies.”

Coastguards are not the correct people to ring even if the seal is injured.

“If you do see an injured seal, please contact BDMLR (British Divers Marine Life Rescue),” said Mr Niblett.

Playing Wu Yize is like ‘trying to lasso a stag,’ reckons former Masters champion Alan McManus, as the young star leads Shaun Murphy in the World Snooker Championship final.

The 22-year-old had never won a match at the Crucible before this year but is now just eight frames from becoming world champion as he leads Murphy 10-7 after two sessions.

The attack-minded, free-flowing youngster has been showing off his incredible long-potting ability against the Magician.

He has also displayed great nerve and poise, combining the lot in the final frame of Sunday as he sunk an outrageous long red and cleared up to win a crucial frame from behind.

The race to 18 is far from over, but former Crucible semi-finalists McManus says Murphy has a ‘big job on his hands’ against the gun-slinger who is proving extremely difficult to contain.

‘The strength of an opponent is making Shaun feel uncomfortable, ‘McManus said on TNT Sports.

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‘Shaun played beautifully to win the final four frames against John [Higgins] last night, but he is playing against someone who…it is like trying to lasso a stag and it just keeps running and you can’t get a hand on it. That’s what it feels like.

‘Wu Yize is playing his way, his game, his type of snooker, and Shaun is having no effect on him. Shaun has got a big job on his hands tomorrow.’

The Scot, who was more known for his granite matchplay than his free-wheeling attacking intent, added: ‘It must be a brilliant feeling to feel that free.

‘Free and easy, fast and loose, and not worry about anything. The other guy knows it as well, and that is difficult to play against.

‘The pressure will bite more tomorrow, but he is in a terrific position.’

Stephen Hendry is loving what he has seen from Wu, with the youngster playing a brand of snooker which the Scot revels in.

‘What a player. He’s just brilliant. He plays the game properly and goes for the shots,’ said the seven-time world champion.

‘He’s obviously at a stage of his career when he’s not had many scars and he’s not thinking about the consequences of missing. He’s just having fun.

‘The important thing is when he’s playing shots, he’s fully committing to them. There are no thoughts of bailing out at any stage.’

He added: ‘He’s having fun out there and that’s the worst kind of opponent you can have, someone who looks as though they’re enjoying themself.’

Murphy will not be surprised by what he is seeing from the Chinese sensation, having been on the wrong end of a 6-2 result against Wu at the Masters in January.

‘He’s sensational, isn’t he?’ Murphy said ahead of the match. ‘He battered me at the Masters. He is a wonderful, wonderful player, an absolute star.’

On how he was going to approach the game, the Englishman said: ‘I’ve got no idea really. I think in the words of the late, great John Virgo, I think I have to pot as many balls as I can.’

The players return at 1pm on Monday for the third of their four sessions at the Crucible.

It is impossible to say how many social media accounts operate from Mityana. But collectively, they have flooded Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube with videos of pitiful-looking animals – mostly dogs and cats, but even rabbits – with commentary pleading for donations to shelter, feed and treat them.

All UK postcodes have been warned about the delay

Royal Mail has issued a message to all UK households today. The delivery firm aims to deliver letters and parcels to homes and businesses across the nation six days a week.

But, as of Monday, May 4, Royal Mail has said there are “no deliveries or collections” today. Due to the Early May Bank Holiday, there will be no postal service.

Royal Mail said: “There will be no deliveries or collections of mail on Monday, 4 May.” Over the weekend, its service ran as usual on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday Parcel deliveries took place yesterday.

It added: “We deliver and collect your mail on most days of the year, including Saturdays. However, we don’t usually deliver or collect on public or local holidays.”

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The delay to mail is in place across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland today. Normal service will resume from Tuesday, May 5.

Royal Mail has faced criticism over late deliveries and its owner faced questions from MPs. Daniel Kretinsky previously told MPs: “Of course I am deeply sorry for any letters that arrive late.”

Speaking to the Commons Business select committee, Mr Kretinsky added: “It is not perfect, but it is not catastrophic.”

Last month, Royal Mail vowed to meet its letter delivery targets by May 2027 as part of a £500 million turnaround. Part-time staff will be offered the option to work longer hours to improve service.

The changes will mean it will axe Saturday Second Class deliveries and move to alternate weekdays – three days one week, and two days the next.

Royal Mail said the changes and planned investment will see it improve First Class Next Day delivery to around 85% within nine months of the reforms being brought in, before reaching the 90% target set by regulator Ofcom within a year.

The firm also vowed to deliver 93% of Second Class letters within three days over the course of nine months, and to hit the 95% target by May next year.

Royal Mail was fined £21 million by Ofcom in October for missing targets after it delivered 77% of First Class post and 92.5% of Second Class post on time in 2024-25.

From April 1, Ofcom lowered the delivery targets for First Class post to be delivered the next day from 93% to 90% and Second Class to be delivered within three days from 98.5% to 95%.

Alistair Cochrane, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: “We recognise our service hasn’t always been the standard our customers rightly expect and we’re determined to do better.

“The plan we’ve set out today shows how we’ll make a step change in performance across the UK, backed by £500 million of investment over the next five years.”

Kardashian also posted a number of photos of her in the outfit she wore in 2025, a custom, all-black two-piece set by Chrome Hearts, which featured a croc-embossed leather corset top with a matching skirt and train, paired with a black leather “witch hunter” hat, which covered most of her face.

Donald Trump shared a photo of himself holding all of the wild cards in UNO, claiming ‘he holds all the cards’ – not knowing that means you lose the game.

Posting the image on Truth Social, it appeared to be a nod to the failing talks with Iran, in which Trump has said he’s in control.

The fallout from the UNO photo was swift, with many pointing out that having all the cards in the game means you actually lose.

‘He doesn’t even understand the game or how to play, but he still always poses with props and proclaims himself a winner,’ one user said.

Another joked: ‘He has every hand except a Strait.’

The ongoing discussions about Iran are focused on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane over which Iran has control, and Trump wants to control.

The image is the latest AI-generated slop Trump has shared on his Truth Social platform.

Ahead of his planned renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pools, Trump shared an AI photo of himself and his cabinet lounging in the waters.

Floating in a golden inflatable chair, the President is giving a thumbs up to the camera as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio smile.

Also in the mocked-up photo is Interior Secretary Doug Burgham and an unidentified woman wearing a gingham bikini.

The image appears to be a reference to Trump’s ongoing renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pools.

‘This work was supposed to be done by the Biden Administration, but Sleepy Joe doesn’t know what ‘CLEAN’ or proper maintenance is — The President and Secretary do,’ Trump said.

Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary this summer, Trump is planning an ‘Arc de Trump’, a fighting match on the White House lawn and more.

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The United States of America is marking 250 years since it declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776.

And this year’s celebrations will be very different from the bicentennial in 1976, which saw freedom trains, cultural programmes and a massive fireworks display outside the White House.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Manchester United’s 3-2 win against Liverpool put them six points clear of the soon-to-be former Premier League champions, sparking a debate over who’ll next win the title

Jamie Carragher has dismissed Manchester United’s chances of winning the Premier League title in the next two seasons, telling Gary Neville not to be ‘kidded’ by their form under Michael Carrick.

United beat reigning champions Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday to give Carrick his ninth victory in 13 games as interim manager. Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s side are likely to finish fourth, failing to build on a dominant campaign last time out.

Reflecting on the two teams’ contrasting fortunes, Neville suggested that United aren’t far away from winning their first title since 2013 – despite not having a permanent manager in place. “There’s a couple of real unknowns; the managers and which club is going to recruit the best this summer,” the ex-United captain began on his Sky Sports podcast.

“Both are going to sign three or four. But how much money do the clubs have to spend money on recruitment? I do think the league could be up for grabs over the next couple of years and I think Manchester United could be in a position to exploit that.

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“At some point, Pep [Guardiola] has to leave [Manchester City]. And I don’t think the other big clubs aren’t quite right. There is a league title up to grabs over the next one to two years.”

Carragher, on the other hand, believes that United are in a ‘false economy’, having played far less fixtures than Liverpool this season – something that’ll change next term after they qualified for the Champions League. “I still think Liverpool are better-placed and the reason I say that is we’ve seen Man United’s best team out there today,” the Anfield legend said.

“Liverpool are three of four short there. They also have the players who have won before in terms of the biggest trophies. I don’t think either of them will be there in terms of the title next season. I still think it will be Arsenal or Manchester City.

Who’s closer to winning the Premier League – Manchester United or Liverpool? Have your say in the comments section.

“There’s a false economy with Manchester United when they haven’t played any European football and they went out in the first round of both cup competitions. Now that can fool you.

“Man United will finish third this season but I don’t think for a minute believe they’re the third-best team in the Premier League. I still think Liverpool are in a better position in terms of the squad when the injured players get back and having those players that have won trophies before.”

Their row resumed when they entered the Sky studio at Old Trafford – although it ended with a gentlemanly handshake. Neville continued: “(Liverpool) have to build a new team that won’t have won the titles that they’ve won before. Liverpool’s recruitment is gonna have to be good – and it has been good in the past – and the manager’s gonna have to settle down next season.”

Raising his arms as Carragher attempted to respond, Neville added: “Do you know something? We’ve beat them twice this season, we’ve finished above them in the league and he’s still sat there saying, ‘Liverpool are better’! What more can United do?”

An exacerbated Carragher then replied: “Don’t get kidded about United finishing third, you’ve had no European (football), no cup competitions. You’ve done really well this season in terms of where you’ve ended up, but don’t get kidded by it!

“How can you say you think Manchester United in the next year or two could win the league title? You haven’t even got a manager yet, you’ve got players there who’ve never played three games in a week. The things that’ve got to come over the next year or two… Your best player (Bruno Fernandes) will be 33!”

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