SNOOKER QUALIFIER Ben Woollaston nearly never made it to the Crucible after almost blacking out while driving.
– whose wife is top referee Tatiana – has been battling chronic fatigue syndrome since he had a Covid vaccination jab four years ago.
Before he won two qualifying rounds – and secured his place at the Worlds for the first time since 2013 – the Leicester cueist suffered a funny turn in his car.
The world No44 revealed: “I’ve been a lot better with it but recently, I had a real few bad turns.
“I was a bit worried about the qualifiers because I felt as bad as I did a couple of years ago. I hadn’t felt like that for a while.
“I was driving a couple of weeks ago with Tatiana and I had to pull over straightaway because I was seconds from passing out.
“I haven’t felt like that for two years. I took it easy for a few days before the qualifiers because I wanted to rest as much as I could before playing.”;
Woollaston takes on hometown hero in round one and both sessions start at 7pm but could go long.
The 2015runner-up is not worried about the late nights though he tries to avoid too much physical exertion.
He said: “I can’t really worry about it. There’s nothing I can do to help it really.
“If I do too much physically, which is not a lot these days, my heart rate gets higher and I feel it.
“If I kick a football with my kids for ten minutes I probably have to lie down for an hour.
“I was the fittest I’d been before the vaccine. I was two stones lighter.
“Now I just can’t do any exercise and I love my food, so it’s hard not to put on weight.
“It’s got to be the vaccine. I was perfect before that. I passed out 15 or 20 minutes after it. I couldn’t really stand on my feet for six months.
“I remember it. It was two days before my birthday, on May 12, 2021.”;
Woollaston’s two children will be looked after by his snooker club-owning mum, 76, and Tatiana until she arrives at the World Championship for the second round.
The pair got married in 2011 and since then, Tatiana’s officiating career has soared, and she was in charge of the 2024 UK Championship final that won last December.
Yet the Belarussian, 38, is not allowed to ref matches involving her husband.
The 37-year-old said: “Before we were together she refereed me in a plate competition for the losers.
“I actually won and played all right. She didn’t know how to pronounce my surname. She had to ask Jan Verhaas how to pronounce it. This was before we were dating.
“I honestly don’t know how referees do it. They’re unsung heroes. To concentrate for that long.
“It’s bad enough playing but they don’t get a break. We get to sit down when we aren’t at the table.
“Hopefully she’ll do a final, I’m sure she will. I’m biased but she’s definitely one of the best. Hopefully that day will come.
“She’s willing to sacrifice the final if I get there the year she’s meant to do it!
“I’m just really looking forward to my return. I was a completely different person before.
“A lot of things have happened. My son was only a few months old when I last qualified. Now he’s a big boy. He’s 12 years old.
“I’m really excited that my kids can watch me at the Crucible. They get to watch mummy all the time and I’m never around so this is a bit different.
“I’m sure I’ll be really nervous and won’t be able to breathe for half an hour, but hopefully I’ll settle down and play like I know I can.”;
