Snooker star's wife sent him brutal message immediately after losing at World Grand Prix

 Ben Woollaston had to embark on a last-minute trip to Hong Kong last month before receiving an ice cold message from his wife following his narrow defeat

Snooker star Ben Woollaston has revealed his referee wife Tatiana’s brutal message after he crashed out of the World Grand Prix last month. The Leicester-born player was defeated 4-3 in the last 32 of the Hong Kong tournament by Shaun Murphy, after the Magician made a 110 break in the deciding frame.

But the fact Woollaston was even able to take part was a miracle in itself. The 37-year-old was a late call-up, competing only thanks to Stephen Maguire pulling out with a back problem. And he faced a race against time to get from Leicester to the Kai Tak Arena for the 32-man tournament.

Woollaston explained how he was called up at 7.15am on the Monday, which meant he had less than 24 hours until his match. He purchased a ticket for the only flight that would get him there on time, rushing from Leicester to Heathrow Airport in London and arriving with just three minutes to spare.

He was unable to sleep during the flight, which left his eyes “stinging”, and was prepared to borrow a cue just to play. Woollaston arrived in Hong Kong at 11am - a mere three hours before his clash with the 2025 Masters champion.

After putting up a valiant effort where he was narrowly edged out by Murphy, Woollaston had to jet home and back to reality straight away to look after his two children, who he had left with his mother. That's because his wife Tatiana, had also been at the World Grand Prix, working as a referee, which prompted a cold yet hilarious message to him.

His wife Tatiana was also at the World Grand Prix as a referee

“I was in Hong Kong for 22 hours and I flew for 26 hours!” Woollaston told the Talking Snooker podcast. “When I lost, Tatiana said: ‘You better get back to the kids.’

“She was there an extra two days so I thought maybe I could stay, but it wasn’t fair on my mum because I just left her within 15 minutes, just said ‘I’m off!’ So I thought I better get back.”

Tatiana reacted to those comments in light-hearted fashion on social media, taking to X to write: “I am really kind, am I not?!” along with a laughing face emoji.

The world number 44 heads to World Championship qualifying this month, looking to return to the Crucible for the first time since his debut at the Sheffield theatre back in 2013. He will be in action on Sunday, April 13.