Mark Allen says he's in "a much better place" ahead NI Snooker Open title defence
WATCH: Mark Allen speaks to UTV Sports Correspondent Ruth Gorman:
Mark Allen has said he is in "a much better place" ahead of this weekend's Northern Ireland Snooker Open at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.
The World Number Ten is hoping to retain the Alex Higgins Trophy after his success at last year's home tournament, which he has described as his "best moment to date."
"What winning last year should do is take a little bit of pressure off this year," he told UTV's Sports Correspondent Ruth Gorman.
"I don't feel like I've anything to prove now - I won the tournament for myself and for my family and for my home fans," he said.
Despite facing a difficult few years with a costly divorce and declaring himself bankrupt, the Co Antrim man has said he "can see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
"This time last year when I won Belfast, I didn't even see a light if I'm honest.
"I didn't know what was round the corner. It was all out of my control which is a horrible feeling.
"I feel like I'm in a much better place but it'd be nice to get it all done and dusted and move on eventually.
"I've wrecked a few hotel rooms in my time after you go back and you're really annoyed after losing - especially if you feel like you threw a match away.
"I'm just looking at it differently now.
"It still hurt losing that British Open final. I want to go there and win tournaments at the end of the day - that's why I play snooker but I think I have a bit of perspective of what's important now.
"Snooker is still very important to me - it's probably the only thing I'm good at in life but there's more to it than that. I've been working a bit with a sports psychologist.
As well as being in a better mental picture, the 36 year old has also shed almost five stone in four months.
"One of my closest friends Michael, not to be insulting or anything just sort of said to me one day, the way you're going, I worry about you.
"The way you're going, I'd be surprised if you're still here to walk your daughter down the aisle," Allen recounted being told.
"That was hard to listen to, hard to hear but probably exactly what I needed to hear.
"Literally, two days later, changed my life around and then even a chat with Ronnie O'Sullivan at the World Championship earlier this year, he helped me down the path of losing weight too to an extent and not finished yet.
"Strangely at the start it went badly because it felt like I was cueing on a different path because my belly wasn't quite on the way as it was before.
That took a bit of adjusting, but as I play more and more, it's getting more comfortable - I can reach more shots now than I was before and I don't feel as uncomfortable playing.
"I was always conscious of how I looked and how I felt and I don't feel that now - I just concentrate on playing which is what you want to do.
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