Mark Selby has opened up about his personal struggles away from the snooker table as cancer affects his family.
Selby has previously spoken about his mental health issues and the 40-year-old is facing a particularly difficult time at the moment. The wife of the four-time world champion, Vikki, the “rock” of his difficult times, was diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently being treated.
Tragically, the couple received more terrible news when their close friend Nina Webb recently passed away at the age of just 44. “I had a lot of things on the table, some deviations from what I mentioned before. my mental health,” Selby told Metro.
“We got some bad news a little over a week ago. One of my best friends Dave, his wife sadly died of cancer aged 44. He has a little girl who is 12. She is Vikki’s best friend so the last two weeks have been quite difficult
Selby, who reached the quarter-finals of the Masters in January, faced Luca Brecel in the final of the World Classic in May 2023, but although he was disappointed to lose 18-15, the loss paled in comparison.
“It didn’t end that way. , as I would have liked, but if things went away, not only for me, but for Viki, of course, I understand that health is more important, “said Selby later. “It’s a game; a game you want to win, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”
The match took place just a few months after Vikki was diagnosed with breast cancer while checking on Nina’s condition. Fortunately, Selby says things are looking positive on that front for his family now.
England’s Mark Selby poses with the trophy with daughter Sofia and wife Viki after defeating John Higgins
Sir Elton John causes health problems at Derek Draperand’s funeral#039
Asked about Viki she said: “She’s fine, she had a mammogram a few weeks ago and everything looked good on the ultrasound. She’s fine , she had a mammogram a few weeks ago. also had an MRI and we are waiting for the results but they said the mammogram and ultrasound were ok, fingers crossed it will come back fine and then it will be another year before we get another scan but we are still waiting so obviously. it’s still a hard time.
“He must have been stronger than me the whole time. When it was first announced, I was completely blown away. Apparently what my mental health was like before multiplied that. He was the one who supported me! It should be the other way around, but people say it always seems whoever gets through it is the strongest.”
Selby first met former professional pool player Viki at the World Championships in 2006. The pair got engaged in Venice in 2010 before. tying the knot knot in Mexico in May 2011. and they have a daughter, Sofia, born in 2014. His relationship with Vikki and his family was particularly important to Selby, as his mother Shirley left him when he was eight and his father died of cancer when he was 16..
