I don't think I suffered with depression, I don't think I'm a depressed type of person - I just think I suffered a depression to do with snooker, and I just couldn't handle it. I could go out and play, but take me out of there and I couldn't do life. It was a nightmare, my life just felt like a bit of a nightmare.

People think I don't like interviews but I don't mind speaking about proper and interesting stuff. When it's stupid stuff to build your image and you are told to mention this and mention that, I hate it.

My hearts not been in it this year [2005], and I've not been playing well, but I keep on winning.

The most important thing, the biggest love of my life, is my snooker. Ive never been so emotionally ingrained in something - in a person, an object, anything - as I have in snooker.

Today I got so annoyed with myself that I lost my patience and walked away from a game that, with hindsight, I should have continued [on quitting a game early on against Hendry]

I've been semi-successful. I've done all right but I'm not the player I was. Who do I think will win the world championship? John Higgins. Have I been good for snooker? I don't know.

The relentless pursuit of perfection has been my problem over the years. It's maybe held me back.