Shaun Murphy left 'absolutely terrified' by anaesthetist's comment minutes before surgery

has detailed just how frightened he was by his anaesthetist's comment moments before going under the knife. The 2005 world champion was put to sleep in order to undergo a two-hour gastric-sleeve stomach surgery in 2022.

He claimed that three years ago he hit "rock bottom" and could not control his eating or drinking. At the time he described the £11,000 surgery as "life-changing" for his mental health. The procedure involves removing a large part of the stomach, limiting the ability to consume excessive amounts. The reigning champion shed four stone in the three-and-a-half months following the surgery, but was petrified as a result of one of the medical specialists in the room.

He explained to : "You lay on the operating table. And then the anaesthetist arrives - the important person in the room. I said: 'How will I know if it has worked?'

"He said: 'Well, when I turn it on, you'll have about maybe 10 seconds tops. You'll actually feel it starting to go up your arm and once it gets to your arm, it's already up here.

"'Your cheek will start to tingle and then you're out. I'm here to look after you. Don't worry about that.'

"I started to get a bit nervous. I started to think about my kids. I start to think that these surgeries do go wrong sometimes. Very rarely.

"You hear these horror stories. I got a little bit emotional. The anaesthetist comforted me."

What Murphy wasn't prepared for was his anaesthetist, the last person he saw before going under, joking about the grudge he held with the snooker star as a result of betting on his matches.

Murphy said: "But as it went up my arm, he said: 'Is now a bad time to tell you about how much money I've lost betting on you over the years? Anyway, goodnight.' Bang!

"I was absolutely terrified. Very funny. Never saw him again. He's still losing money, probably..."

Murphy has not looked back since four-fifths of his stomach were removed, meaning he now never feels hungry. The 42-year-old maintains that he would lose even more weight if he cut out drinking alcohol, but has come a long way since feeling depressed due to his diet.

"I had totally reached rock bottom," he recalled. "I couldn't control my eating or drinking. I never went and got diagnosed but I'd say that a professional would have diagnosed me with depression.

"I had actually enquired about having that surgery many years ago but decided I was too proud for that and wanted to do it the proper way. I wanted to lose weight and exercise.

"I can consume much less than I ever used to be able to. I've put some weight back on since the surgery. Just because I do like a drink. If I knocked the drinking on the head, it'd fall off. I can't overeat. It's physically impossible."