Selby is in the UK Championship final but his snooker career could have come to an early end if he had not taken his wife’s advice
Mark Selby has previously spoken about his wife’s health battle(Image: Visual China Group via Getty Images)
Mark Selby will be supported by his wife Vikki Layton as he aims to win his third UK Championship title. The 42-year-old is set to face defending champion Judd Trump in the final at the York Barbican on Sunday.
‘The Jester from Leicester’ made his way through the UK Championship final with 6-2 wins over Lei Peifan, Zhou Yuelong and Barry Hawkins. In the semi-finals, Selby overcame Shaun Murphy 6-3 to secure his chance to win the £250,000 top prize.
Selby is a four-time world champion who defeated Trump in the Champion of Champions final last month. The snooker star has spoken openly about his mental health throughout his illustrious career, including his reaction to his wife Vikki’s cancer diagnosis.
Vikki, who is a former Ireland international pool player, was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after December 2022. Selby admitted that his wife’s diagnosis had taken a toll on his mental health.
“She’s been stronger than me throughout it, for sure,” Selby told the Metro last year. “When it was first announced, I was completely blown apart. Obviously with how my mental health was before anyway, that multiplied it.
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“She’s been the one supporting me. It should be the other way round, but people say that, it always seems to be the person going through it that’s the strongest.”
A few months after Vikki’s diagnosis, Selby found his way into a sixth World Snooker Championship final. He admitted that his concern for his wife took any pressure away from the tournament, with Vikki convincing him to keep competing.
“Vikki was going through radiotherapy while I was playing in the Worlds so in a way it did take my focus off the tournament,” he explained. “I was playing and thinking, ‘If I get beat, so what?’
Selby previously won the UK Championship in 2014 and 2016(Image: Visual China Group via Getty Images)
“I said to Vikki that I wanted to be with her going through the radiotherapy but she was saying, ‘Look it’s only 20 minutes every day.’ But I wanted to be there to support her, going through it.
“She wanted me to play and I carried on playing. It takes the pressure off a bit, because you’re playing without a care in the world on the table, then there you are in the final.”
The couple have been married since 2011 and have one daughter together. Vikki has played a pivotal role in Selby’s career, advising her husband to continue playing when he was considering retirement after his first round world championship exit last year.
Selby has enjoyed success since deciding to continue with his snooker career(Image: Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images)
“I had a sit down with Vikki and she said look, ‘Look, I think you should carry on playing because you probably have got a bit more to give to the game,’” Selby told The Sun last July. “She added, ‘Maybe pick and choose a bit, don’t play in everything, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.’ I’m going to give that a go and see what happens.”
The advice appears to have paid off, with Selby since winning the 2024 British Open and this year’s Welsh Open. He also finished runner-up in the Tour Championship before winning the Champion of Champions last month, defeating Trump in the final.
