Snooker legend Jimmy White is entering his 47th consecutive season as a professional, but the 64-year-old is making significant changes away from the table. Known as 'The Whirlwind', White has been a household name since the 1980s, having lost his first World Championship final to Steve Davis in 1984. A six-time runner-up, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players never to win the title at the Crucible.
Move to Hong Kong
White has become one of the latest snooker stars to gain Hong Kong residency through a talent scheme, joining the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump. He has shared his plans to relocate and intends to pass on his insight to budding snooker players.
"My plan in Hong Kong is to maybe open a snooker academy and find the snooker talent of Hong Kong, promote snooker as much as I can," he told the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Instagram account. "Now I have become a Hong Kong resident, I am going to try looking for my old friend – legend of the dragon."
This was a reference to the Legend of the Dragon actor Stephen Chow Sing-chi, whom White featured alongside in the 1991 film. He added: "This is a snooker hub – snooker in Asia started in Hong Kong and now it's looking as big as ever."
Split from former Miss Blackpool
White was previously in a relationship with Jade Slusarczyk, a former Miss Blackpool. The pair began dating in 2018 but have since split. Jade has recently posted snaps with her new partner, former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey.
Despite going their separate ways, White previously credited Sky Sports walk-on girl Jade with helping him stay sober, having been open about his struggles with drink and drugs in the past. "It's impossible to say how much I used to drink in my wild days," he told The Sun in 2021. "It was drink after drink and line after line and I'd go missing for days. It took 15 years to get sober and I don't miss that life at all.
"Jade's helped me because she doesn't drink. I feel normal now and can have a laugh with my mates without waking up feeling like someone's put an axe in my head."
