I’d have died if I’d beaten Higgins to be world snooker champion.. I had just found cocaine
Snooker legend Jimmy White’s drugs hell
BY ADAM ASPINALL SNOOKER legend Jimmy White has opened up about his past love of drugs and admitted it could have killed him if he had beaten Alex Higgins to win the 1982 World Championship.
White, 56, has had a turbulent life which has seen him overcome cancer, an addiction to crack and a gambling habit that cost him over a million pounds.
The man known as the Whirlwind for his all-action playing style has also had the heartache of losing six World Championship finals.
But fan favourite White, who failed to qualify for this year’s tournament, said: “I would’ve died if I’d beaten Higgins and won the World Championship in 1982 because I’d just found cocaine and I liked to drink.
“I always liked cocaine – whether drunk or sober. It was no one’s fault but my own.
“I’d just become famous, because we only had four channels in them days and, instead of queuing round the block to get into a west end nightclub, I was getting the treatment. I had such fun, even though I can’t remember much.”
The Londoner said his years of cocaine use led to him spiralling into crack addiction.
He said: “I’d knock about with Kirk Stevens (the Canadian former snooker pro) and he’d be on crack. One day I tried it. It’s the most addictive thing ever.
“So I became hooked on crack for a few months. It’s like being an alcoholic. The first hit is the best – like your first drink. But you never hold on to that first hit.”
White is now drug-free and does his best to avoid drug users. He added: “I would be a great cocaine policeman. I can spot people on it from miles away. “So I stayed away from them because I s**t myself. I’d let a lot of people down.” Now a grandad, White is dating glamorous Jade Slusarczyk, 32, who used to be a walk-on girl at darts tournaments – and he is teetotal. He said: “I don’t drink. Don’t smoke. If we have a bottle of wine, I want to start dancing in the restaurant. “I’ve got five grandkids. And I’ve got Jade. I keep her away from Specsavers.”