There was sad news yesterday as former player and current BBC commentator Willie Thorne announced that he has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
It had already been a tough year for Willie, who has spoken openly and movingly in recent weeks of the relapse in respect of his gambling addiction and unfortunately this is another battle that he now faces.
You can read his full account of his recent diagnosis here, the positive news being that they have found it early and hopefully he will be able to make a full recovery.
I am sure that I speak for everyone in the snooker community in wishing Willie all the best over the coming weeks and look forward to seeing him at a tournament soon.