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Shaun Murphy says reaching “the bottom of my mental health” convinced him to brave “life-changing” stomach surgery.
Former World, UK and Masters champion Murphy, 40, had a gastric sleeve operation during the summer.
The procedure involves removing a large part of the stomach, limiting the ability to consume excessive amounts.
“I just wish I had done it 20 years ago, because it does feel as if it’s changed my life for the better,” Murphy told BBC Sport’s Framed podcast.
“I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. I was the fat kid in school, I feel like I’ve been dieting ever since I was 15, probably younger, and I just reached the end of my tether with it.
“I’d reached the bottom of my mental health, I was on the ground. I was very close to going to the doctor about depression, anxiety, not being able to go out, because I was getting shouted at in the street.
“On social media people were sending me horrific messages and comments and direct messages on Instagram and Twitter.
“And in the end I just thought, I need to do something about this, this is going to be the end of me, mentally and possibly physically.”
‘Couldn’t tell you last time I finished a coffee’
Murphy, one of only 11 players to claim snooker’s illustrious ‘Triple Crown’ of World, UK and Masters titles, says he has shed four stone in the three and a half months since surgery.
“I can now eat whatever I want, but I can literally eat very, very little of it,” he explained in his podcast chat with BBC Sport presenter Shabnam Younus-Jewell.
“I couldn’t tell you the last time I finished a coffee as I can’t physically take that much liquid in one go – if I sit there with a pint of Guinness, I’ll still be sipping away at my first pint while everyone else is on their third.
“So I can still do all the same things. But whereas I would have eaten the whole packet of biscuits before and then been looking for a packet of crisps, that’s me done.”
The Essex-born potter, who was raised in Northamptonshire, says he elected for the drastic option of surgery after feeling like he had exhausted all other weight loss avenues.
“I’ve lost weight, gained weight pretty much consistently for the last 20 years and I’ve tried every diet going,” Murphy added.
“I’ve tried being very cautious and careful in calorie counting, I’ve been to various clubs and saw success with those methods.
“It was just always the maintenance of keeping weight off that I struggled with. When you’re away on tour you’re eating late, you’re often eating rubbish, and I’ve just been unable to discipline myself.
“I just ran out of patience with it. At the World Championships this year I’d ballooned to nearly 20 stone, so I just knew I had to do something about it.
“There are three or four types [of gastric surgery] – I wanted the most extreme one, the one that is irreversible. Because my stomach’s now so small, it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever be able to physically consume enough calories in one go to put the weight back on.”
World’s top spot last goal to tick off
While he elected to have surgery for health reasons, Murphy, nicknamed the ‘Magician’, hopes his disappearing waistline can also help conjure up renewed success on the table.
Murphy has won nine ranking titles in his career – including the 2005 World Championship, where he burst on to the scene as a qualifier – but his most recent triumph was back in 2020 at the Welsh Open.
He did reach the 2021 Crucible final, losing to Mark Selby but, after being a top-10 mainstay for more than 15 years, is in danger of dropping out of the all-important world’s top 16.
“An added bonus to that [the surgery] is that it is going to have a knock-on effect on all aspects of my life, including my career,” Murphy added.
“From the basic point of being able to bend over the table better, being able to get lower to the shot. If you’re carrying any extra weight that becomes quite difficult.
“The Crucible this year was a classic example. It’s quite a funny clip actually, in my match against Stephen Maguire, and I fouled the ball with my cufflink. But that was because I couldn’t reach over the table.
“If you’re backstage, listening to the MC waiting to be introduced and your shirt doesn’t fit, your waistcoat and trousers are too tight, it just puts you in completely the wrong mindset.”
John Higgins and Mark Allen are among the players whose games have benefitted from weight loss in recent times and Murphy hopes the same will apply to him.
“Really the only target I’ve yet to achieve is getting to the top of the rankings, I’ve never been able to say I’m world number one,” he added.
“I’ve got a pretty clean slate in terms of rankings for the next few seasons and if I can get my act together and start putting some balls in pockets again, I could start climbing the ladder.”
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