Mark Allen has lost FOUR STONE since May after being warned over his health by a friend – ‘and legendary snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan’ who ‘offered his rival some encouragement’
- Mark Allen’s incredible transformation was visible at the British Open this week
- Allen, 36, weighed 19 stone at the World Championship in April
- But he has shed four-stone after changing his diet and cutting down on portions
- A chat with a close friend, and with O’Sullivan, sparked his drastic change
Snooker player Mark Allen has lost four stone in five months after reportedly receiving encouragement from Ronnie O’Sullivan and a close friend who warned him about his health.
Allen’s incredible transformation from 19 stone at the World Snooker Championship in April to 14 stone 10 pounds was evident at the British Open in Milton Keynes this week.
According to the Sun, the Northern Irishman said he had slimmed down following a chat with O’Sullivan in May, as well as a conversation with a friend, where he was convinced to change his lifestyle.
Mark Allen’s incredible transformation was visible at the British Open in Milton Keynes this week
Allen, 36, has dramatically altered his diet and cut down on his portion sizes after being told by a close friend that he might not be able to walk his daughter down the aisle in the future if he did not shed some weight.
According to the Sun, he said: ‘I’m happier in my appearance. I don’t want to do bad things to myself when I look in the mirror.
‘I need to lose more weight. I’m not fighting fit yet. Before I started my diet, I was 19.1 stone which is really embarrassing to say for someone of my height and age. I’m now 14 stone 10 pounds.
‘I have cut out all the fun stuff. Even if I do eat bad food, I eat so little of it. I try to cut out carbs as much as possible. Stick to stuff high in protein and fat.
Allen said a conversation with Ronnie O’Sullivan had helped him change his lifestyle
‘It has been hard work but I have been disciplined. I haven’t gone cold turkey like with previous diets.
‘One of my very closest friends said to me: ‘If you keep going the way you’re going Mark, you won’t be here to walk Harleigh down the aisle’. That was tough to hear but probably what I needed to hear.’
Allen, who has won six ranking tournaments in his career and has been a World Championship semi-finalist, is due to begin his third-round match against Gary Wilson at the British Open on Thursday.
He had beaten China’s Li Hang 4-1 on Tuesday, with the match including a superb five-cushion escape from Allen – which he described as ‘probably one of the best ever shots I have ever played’.
His comments come after Allen praised O’Sullivan back in August for inspiring him to lose weight.
‘I had a good chat with O’Sullivan after we played in Sheffield,’ said Allen according to Eurosport. ‘I sat in his hotel room for about an hour, talking about snooker and all sorts of things, he really helped me, it was good.
‘He gave me a few pointers. For my health more than anything just to lose some weight, if it helps your snooker so be it, but if it doesn’t it will help your mindset off the table, you’ll be better round your family, round your daughter and he was absolutely right.
‘I feel like that has changed my priorities over the summer and maybe why I took such a long break.’
