Jimmy White is one of the greatest snooker players of all time. Perhaps the most popular player around during the golden age of the game, he was always loved by fans of the sport.
Of course, that World Championship title would allude him during his peak, losing an incredible six finals in the event.
The 60-year has also had his battles away from the snooker table. He has been open in the past about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, although he has been sober for quite some time now.
Jimmy White opens up on addiction struggles on 'The Tommy Tiernan Show'
Appearing on The Tommy Tiernan Show last night, White said he has been sober for six years now, although he had been trying on and the best part of two decades before that. He also opened up on what his life was like during his struggles with addiction.
I've been working on myself and get the right people around me and lucky enough I've always had a great relationship with my children...
You've got to be sober for a long time to be sober...
I went to GA for gambling, I went to NA for narcotics. I was always a drinker, my real addiction was alcohol. It was where I had come from and if you had money you should be drinking, it was really bizarre. You should be out celebrating, and if you're out celebrating it's in a drinking environment.
Then I found cocaine when I was in my early 20s. With the cocaine I found I could have a bit of cocaine and I all of a sudden I'm sober again, so I could go get and changed, go out with different people and do it all over again.
All the time I was wrecking my body because there was enormous amount of drink going on. That was the devil for me, the drink.
White's gambling often led to some dangerous situations, even in his younger days before he was a household name.
He recalled one occasion when playing pool for money in a London nightclub almost led to him getting shot.
I was in a nightclub in London with Tony Meo and guy called 'Flash Bob', who was also a professional snooker player.
We were playing a guy in nine-ball pool on a pool table, it was in a nightclub with all music going on and that. We were winning a lot of money, probably £2,000 or £3,000 or something like that.
All of a sudden this guy went like that (and put his hand in his coat pocket), and as he went to pull out something, we didn't know what it was, the bouncer seen him and hit him and knocked him out.
As he went to the floor, this gun came out of his coat. What he was going to do with that gun I don't know. I don't know if he was going to shoot me, Tony Meo, or Flash Bob.
That was pretty close.
You can see the interview in full here and it is quite the watch.
White is still going on the pro tour and even hold ambitions of finally winning that elusive World Championship. While it looks unlikely at this stage of his career, few could begrudge him if he managed to get his hands on that trophy.
SEE ALSO: Alex Higgins & Jimmy White Playing In Pool's Mosconi Cup Is An Incredible Watch
