John Virgo has died on the age of 79 after lending his voice to the BBC’s snooker protection for greater than three a long time.
Snooker legend John Virgo has handed away (Picture: George Wooden, Getty Pictures)
Legendary snooker commentator John Virgo as soon as had his house repossessed following his playing habit and failed marriages. Virgo, who was a cornerstone of the BBC’s snooker protection for greater than three a long time, died aged 79 on Wednesday.
The Salford-born broadcaster handed away in Spain, the place he lived, after commentating for the BBC on the Masters final month. An announcement from promotions firm Snooker Legends, run by Jason Francis, addressed the 1979 UK Championship winner’s unhappy passing, saying: “Heartbreaking to share the information that we have misplaced the nice ‘JV’ John Virgo this morning, he handed away in Spain. Rosie (his spouse) and Brooke-Leah would love everybody to know. Our hearts exit to them each, Gary and the grandchildren. JV was doing what he beloved to do proper up till the tip, entertaining everybody.”
Virgo had beforehand introduced he could be making his ultimate commentary look, together with Dennis Taylor, on the finish of the 2022/23 season. Nevertheless, the pair have been stored on by the BBC “for the foreseeable future,” leaving snooker followers up and down the nation delighted.
His personal enjoying profession noticed him safe 4 skilled titles, together with the 1979 UK Championship, the 1980 Bombay Worldwide and the 1984 Skilled Snooker League. He stored his place throughout the sport’s prime 16 for seven straight seasons and reached the ultimate of each the 1980 Champion of Champions and the 1984 Australian Masters, earlier than ending his 18-year skilled journey in 1994.
Virgo went on to construct a massively profitable broadcasting profession post-retirement, having secured a brand new function as co-host of the BBC programme Large Break three years previous to hanging up his cue. The present, introduced by comic Jim Davidson with Virgo showing as referee, grew to become an enormous success, operating for 11 years and drawing almost 14 million viewers at its peak. It additionally opened additional doorways for Virgo, who landed ebook offers, made quite a few pantomime appearances, and even launched his personal line of waistcoats.
But, within the background, Virgo’s life was in turmoil, with the snooker star battling a playing habit. As his winnings from competitions dwindled, he started to gamble closely, dropping £10,000 on horse racing inside a fortnight on the peak of his habit.
Over the course of six years within the Nineteen Eighties, he borrowed greater than £200,000 in opposition to his mortgage with a view to fund the habit and “sustain the pretence that [he] was profitable.” It finally led to his three-bedroom home in Surrey being repossessed, with Virgo handing the keys again to the mortgage lender.
“It was a vicious circle,” Virgo advised the Mirror. “I used to be doing commentary for the BBC and had exhibition work, however for those who’re not successful you aren’t incomes as a lot. And if you’re seen as a profitable sportsman, individuals assume you are incomes an excellent dwelling.
“There was strain on me to have the latest automotive, a dearer vacation. It was all about maintaining appearances. When the outcomes weren’t approaching the snooker desk, I attempted to complement issues by playing on horses much more. I went by a interval once I was hooked on playing.
Virgo endured a substantial amount of problem away from snooker (Picture: HGL, GC Imagesvia Getty Pictures)
“It was a compulsion that I struggled to become familiar with. By 1990, it was in peril of ruining my life. I used to be borrowing in opposition to the mortgage simply to maintain up the pretence that I used to be profitable. Wanting again, I see it was loopy. I feel numerous gamers could have had points with playing. You might be introduced up in that surroundings – hustling within the snooker golf equipment to earn a number of quid and, if there was nobody to play, you’d go within the bookies.”
Explaining how he finally beat the behavior, he stated: “I ended once I realised I used to be dwelling past my means. I hardly ever wager lately. I did again the Grand Nationwide winner although.” Virgo’s battle with habit unfolded alongside two failed marriages, from which he has a son, Gary, and a daughter, Brooke-Leah.
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He found love once more with publishing government Rosie Ries, a pal of a pal he had identified for twenty years, and the couple married in 2009. “A mate tried to set us up years in the past however then his girlfriend stated she would not be curious about me,” Virgo defined.
“I used to be so afraid of a knock-back, I did not ask her for out for 22 years. By then I might lived by myself for 5 years and I wanted that point to re-centre myself. However finally we went on a date. I used my wit, allure and repartee on her and, blow me down, two months later we received engaged.”
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