Mark Allen says he spent 10 weeks in mental health clinic before snooker return

Mark Allen says he spent 10 weeks in a mental health clinic before returning to snooker, and plans to continue treatment as he works to “turn things around”.

The former world number one made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday, a day after losing to his friend Jordan Brown in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open. It was his first match after five months away from the sport. [1]

Allen said he discharged himself from the clinic to prepare for the match. He said he wanted his family, particularly his daughter, and the fans who had supported him through 21 years on tour to see him play, possibly for the last time.

After Tuesday’s defeat, Allen said he was in a “bad place” and was considering retirement. In his statement, he said his comments after the match were true but that he was doing his best to improve. He also thanked his daughter, therapists, clinic staff and other patients for helping him through what he described as “some really dark days”.

“I also know it won’t happen overnight. I’m a work in progress,” Allen said, adding that he needed to show the same fighting qualities away from the snooker table as he had on it.

The 40-year-old has won 12 ranking titles, including the 2022 UK Championship, and was world number one in 2024. Before this week’s tournament, he reached the World Championship semi-finals, where he missed a match-winning black against eventual champion Wu Yize.