- John Higgins burst into tears as he spoke about his personal life live on TV
- BBC presenter Seema Jaswal got up from her chair and gave Higgins a hug
- She's now spoken about the heartwarming moment at the World Championship
The moment of the World Snooker Championship so far has not been an epic encounter on the table – but an emotional embrace on TV.
The scene unfolded on Monday night, when John Higgins broke down in tears live on the BBC following his hard-fought first-round win over Joe O’Connor.
In his post-match interview, the ‘drained’ four-time world champion opened up about his father-in-law’s heart attack the previous week, while also reflecting on the loss of his own dad to cancer in 2011.
Then, with Higgins overcome with emotion and struggling to speak, BBC presenter SEEMA JASWAL stepped out of her chair to give him a hug – a spontaneous gesture that touched the thousands of viewers watching at home.
Snooker host Jaswal explains to Mail Sport why she felt compelled to comfort the legendary Scot…
Seema Jaswal (left) comforted John Higgins (centre) when he broke down in tears on live TV
Jaswal has revealed it was a natural reaction to hug Higgins after he was so open about his struggles
Higgins' father-in-law suffered a heart attack last week, and the Scot admitted he was 'drained' after his first-round win at the Crucible
Who would have thought that a hug with Higgins would go viral?
In that moment, when you see someone so vulnerable and emotional, it was just my instinct to get up and give him a hug. I would do that in any situation, and I’d like to think that most presenters in my position would do the same.
I know what it’s like to go through a tough time and, when you are on live TV where the world is watching you, it can be very hard. There are times when you need that level of support and I felt that was one of them.
The reason that it has got so much traction is maybe we don’t see it enough. But I feel like presenting is about being human as well. Empathy is very important.
When you’re the very first person to speak to a player after a match, and they will come and pour their hearts out to you, I feel like we have a responsibility to look after them.
I knew that John’s father-in-law had suffered a heart attack in the build-up to the Crucible and it had been a tough week for him, but I still don’t think I was expecting that level of emotion at that moment.
As he was talking, I probably would have got out of my chair a bit earlier, but I just wanted to let him speak.
I asked him if there was anything specific that had made him so emotional and that’s when he said it wasn’t just his father-in-law, but he was thinking about his dad and his son.
Jaswal felt it was important she showed empathy during a difficult moment for Higgins
Higgins lost his own father - John Senior - to cancer after a six-year battle in February 2011
It reminds us all that you never actually quite know what is going on in someone’s world. We think we do, and we are here to enjoy these superstars and incredible athletes whichever sport it might be, but we don’t.
I didn’t expect the interview to go that way, but I am really happy that he was able to be so open with us and I credit him for that.
I do believe that it’s really important when you have a platform to speak openly because you don’t realise how many people you could actually be helping.
We have seen the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby be very open about their mental health. Mark Allen has also talked about using a sports psychologist and Kyren Wilson has spoken about having hypnotherapy.
I know John’s situation was different and it was more of an emotional outpouring, but years ago many people would have felt like they would have had to bottle it up and not talk about it. I’m glad that he did talk.
I have worked in snooker for nine years now and we are like one big family. That is why I love it so much.
We are all quite close to the players and their families, and we have relationships with them outside of tournaments.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been very open about his own mental health issues in recent years
2024 world champion Kyren Wilson has also revealed how hypnotherapy has helped him, and Jaswal believes the snooker community is now one big family that looks out for each other
When they build up that level of trust with you, that’s when they feel they can be vulnerable. I think that is maybe why John felt he could be emotional with us.
With someone like John, whose kids and family I have met, I am never going to let him sit there and cry without standing up and giving him a hug, whether I am on live TV or not.
I can’t remember if I have hugged someone on live TV before, but I don’t think anybody has broken down in that way before with me.
I have really appreciated the outpouring of love that I have had, but all the credit must go to John for being able to talk so openly about his emotions with us.
Watch all of the action from the 2025 World Snooker Championship live from Sheffield on BBC Sport.
