Jimmy White Gets Slippers for Scottish Open Qualifiers
The 64-year-old snooker star received a special dress code waiver to play in slippers, marking a quiet end to a chaotic era.
Key points
- Jimmy White received permission to wear slippers for his Scottish Open qualifiers at age 64.
- The former snooker star admitted to spending over £30,000 on crack cocaine and losing £3 million to gambling.
- White formed a close friendship with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in the 1980s.
Jimmy White stands on the green felt, ready for his Scottish Open qualifiers. At 64, he wears slippers instead of formal shoes. The snooker world has granted him a rare waiver. It is a small, quiet victory. The sport’s strict rules bend for one final time.
This permission closes a long chapter of excess. White once spent over £30,000 on crack cocaine. He also lost around £3 million to gambling. Yet he remains. He survives. The slippers are a symbol of that endurance.
A decade of wild nights
In the 1980s, White and Alex Higgins defined snooker’s wild side. They drank gallons of red wine. One night, White drove a Mini Metro. He crashed into a wall. Higgins flew through the glass. He stood up, unharmed. He shouted that he had nine lives.
They then went to a snooker hall. Higgins challenged White to a match. Money was the only stake. White admitted to losing six World Championship finals during this era. He spent his days in West End nightclubs. The fame brought access. It also brought chaos.
Friendship with the Rolling Stones
White’s bond with Ronnie Wood grew through their daughters. They met at a school play. They went for a drink. They did not return for three days. Wood became his closest confidante. He attended matches to show support.
Their shared love of excess cemented the link. White’s ex-wife, Maureen Mockler, often had to drag him away. She pulled him by the hair across Wood’s lawn. White would ask what was for breakfast. Wood described the snooker gang as rock and rollers. They vanished during gigs to use drugs.
Surviving the addiction
White moved from powder cocaine to crack. He cited friend Kirk Stevens as the trigger. He knew twenty dealers from the streets. Getting the drug was easy. He described the first hit as the best. It faded quickly. He called it like being an alcoholic.
He quit cold turkey. Money ran out. He could not withdraw funds. He had a day of thinking. He knew he had to stop. The habit broke because the bank account did. Now, he plays in slippers. The wild life is over. The survivor remains.
