Mark Allen says Ronnie O'Sullivan advice key to weight loss success: 'I told him things that were personal to me'

ByEurosport

Published 25/08/2022 at 12:59 GMT

Mark Allen admits he is feeling positiive about the season ahead after losing four stone during the summer. Allen is due to begin the defence of his Northern Ireland Open title in October and hopes to have dropped more weight by then. The former Masters holder has cited the advice of Ronnie O'Sullivan as key to his diet success. Stream top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+.

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Northern Ireland Open champion Mark Allen has praised Ronnie O'Sullivan for inspiring him to lose four stone over the close season.

The former Masters champion has revealed how he spent time speaking to the seven-time world champion in Sheffield following his 13-4 defeat to the Essex icon in the second round at the Crucible in April.

O'Sullivan is a fitness fanatic who has used a rigorous running regime since turning professional in 1992 to keep him physically and mentally attuned for the considerable challenges of the green baize over the past three decades.

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"I had a good chat with O’Sullivan after we played in Sheffield," said Allen. "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.

"Everything he said has stood me in good stead and I’ve been working hard on it, and hopefully it’ll reap rewards on the table as well."

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"So I had a good chat with Ronnie, sat in his hotel room for about an hour after the match. It was really good, he really opened up and I told him things that were personal to me. It was good, I really appreciated it.

"Obviously someone like Ronnie doesn’t have to give anyone the time of day, he’s a busy man, I really appreciated that," added Allen, who also admitted there is no lingering animosity following their infamous verbal joust at the Champions of Champions event in 2020, a tournament he won with a 10-6 final victory over Neil Robertson.

"I wished him the best for the rest of the event, and I really took on board what he gave me."

Allen has battled mental health issues similar to O'Sullivan off the table, but would love to shed more weight ahead of his first match at the British Open in Milton Keynes next month.

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The Antrim professional faces Stuart Carrington in his tournament opener on Monday 26 September before beginning the defence of his Northern Ireland Open title against Chang Bingyu on Sunday 16 October live on Eurosport.

The world No. 14 admits cutting back on the calorie intake has been a challenge just days after friend and 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy admitted he had undergone gastric sleeve surgery to help him shift excess weight.

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"Just really, really watching what I’m eating," Allen told The Metro newspaper. "Cut down portions, just really retraining my brain, get in a different mindset and hardly eating anything.

"It’s coming up on four stone I’ve lost, so we’re going in the right direction, but I’d love to get another couple of stone off before the British Open, that would be great.

"I’ve been trying hard, it’s been tough, a lot harder than I thought it would be, but it’s something I’ve been needing to do."