SNOOKER star Mark Allen has bravely lifted the lid on his decision to declare bankruptcy last year.
The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland is a former World Championship semi-finalist.
And Allen’s stunning achievements saw him bank £3.5million from his beloved sport.
However, Allen concedes there was a dark side to making so much money.
That’s because his spending habits quickly became out of control.
And in January 2021, Allen made the decision to declare himself bankrupt following a lengthy divorce process.
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The world snooker No10, who lost this year’s British Open final to Ryan Day, says his financial life is much more stable now.
But Allen, who recently lost FOUR stone, adds it’s still “embarrassing” for him to think about the money he spent.
He told BBC Sport: “I just overspent in every aspect of my life.
"Bankruptcy was the only choice. It's easy to read that I made £3.5m on the table, but I spent it as fast it was coming in.
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"It was sad saying that given what I've made in the game and how well I've done. It's embarrassing, but the priority now is to get my life in order.
"I didn't put any aside for a rainy day and if I was having a bad season I was still spending as if I was having a good season.
"You don't put enough away for tax and everything just snowballs. All the legal stuff with the divorce, if you have to pay for lawyers and barristers, it all mounts up.
"If I could go back I would be more sensible with money.
“If there was a car available at £50,000 I bought one at £80,000. If there was a house available at £1,500 per month, I'd spend one at £2,500.
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"Everything just snowballed. I'm currently in rented accommodation. It's a bit embarrassing to say as No10 in the world.
"I'm on guaranteed earnings going forward now and that takes away the risk of having a good season or bad.”
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