A BBC presenter has opened up about her emotional moment with John Higgins.
Seema Jaswal was interviewing the star when during their live broadcast for the World Championship.
, 49, had told Seema that his “family situation had not been great” following his .
It has been revealed that his father-in-law had suffered a heart attack ahead of the .
The Leicester cueist was comforted by Seema as she consoled him and gave him a hug.
The host has now opened up about the moment and admitted that she was not “expecting” that “level of emotion” from Higgins.
She told the Daily Mail: “I knew that John’s father-in-law had suffered a heart attack in the build-up to the Crucible and it had been a tough week for him, but I still don’t think I was expecting that level of emotion at that moment.
“As he was talking, I probably would have got out of my chair a bit earlier, but I just wanted to let him speak.
“I asked him if there was anything specific that had made him so emotional and that’s when he said it wasn’t just his father-in-law, but he was thinking about his dad and his son.
“It reminds us all that you never actually quite know what is going on in someone’s world.
“We think we do, and we are here to enjoy these superstars and incredible athletes whichever sport it might be, but we don’t.
“I didn’t expect the interview to go that way, but I am really happy that he was able to be so open with us and I credit him for that.”
Her reaction to comfort Higgins has been hailed as “very classy” on social media by snooker fans.
Higgins will be back in action tonight as he faces China's Xiao Guodong in the quarter-finals.
He has also been appearing as a pundit on during the tournament.
One appearance got fans talking about his outfit as .
While on the broadcaster, Higgins admitted that there are two current players who he will struggle against.
He said: “I would openly admit it. You’ve got two guys nowadays, two present-day goliaths of the game: Judd [Trump] andMark Selby.
“I’ve played them in four world finals, two a piece and they’re just incredible.
“I played Judd in the 2019 final and the good thing was I didn’t have to buy a ticket for that final, I was actually sitting there.
“He beat me 18-9 and it was just mesmerising the snooker he produced.
“And I’ve played and he’s just so tough.”
