Kyren Wilson faced a challenging 2024, with his wife suffering a stroke and his son undergoing surgery. However, there is now hope for his wife’s concerning health issue.

The former world champion was eliminated from the Saudi Arabia Snooker Championship on Thursday evening by Neil Robertson, who secured back-to-back century breaks on his way to victory in the Far East. The best-of-seven clash concluded in just 44 minutes, with Wilson exiting in his very first match. Despite this, he still pocketed a cool £50,000, even though he potted only 10 balls.

The past 18 months have been difficult for the Kettering man, who endured a tough 2024 due to troubling family issues.

Despite the glamour and glory of top-tier sport, no one is exempt from life’s inevitable challenges and Wilson has had to juggle his career with some significant obstacles. In 2024, he disclosed that his wife Sophie had suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with epilepsy.

“There have been lots of things going on with the family,” he confessed to The Sun. “So snooker has had to take a little bit of a backseat this year. [It’s] not necessarily something I’d have like to have done or chosen to do.

“My wife’s had to surrender her licence because of her epilepsy. That was brought on by Bailey being really ill last year. Off the back of that, it has triggered her epilepsy again. She had a silent stroke.”

Wife Sophie even had to surrender her driving licence owing to the health complications she faced. Speaking back in October, Wilson disclosed his wife had undergone surgery and was on the road to recovery.

“We’re about seven weeks in, my wife has had some surgery recently and we’ve been waiting on some results which thankfully have come back all good this week,” said Wilson.

“It’s been quite tough to be honest, there’s been a lot of strain on the family. My wife has had a tough time of it but we’ve had some fantastic news which is certainly going to free up the mind for not just me, but all of us.”

He continued: “It’s going to make travelling and playing snooker a lot easier again. I’ve tried my best.

“I’ve kept going to tournaments when I would probably have been warranted to stay at home. But that’s the ambassador I want to be for the sport and that’s how much I want to succeed and do well in the sport, to make those sacrifices.

Wilson’s son endured a difficult period last year, sustaining a fractured eye socket and broken nose from a school accident, which required surgical intervention.

“I’ve had non-stop hospital appointments with him,” he said. “But he’s all right, he’s tough as old boots. I’ve been non-stop.

“I’ve hardly been able to practice. I haven’t really able to travel a lot. It’s part of having children, isn’t it?”