Everything You Need to Know About the Former World Champion
Stuart Bingham is a snooker player with a rich history, and his career is a testament to persistence, self-belief, and commitment. He played professionally for 16 years before he won his first World Championship snooker tournament, but he’s racked up a range of other achievements beyond that incredible feat, too.
There’s more to him than his sport, though. Away from the snooker table, Bingham is a dedicated family man, with a wife and three children. But who is he married to? And what other interests does Bingham have outside of snooker?
In this post, Thrillz take a closer look at the life of the former snooker world champion and his remarkable successes. Read on to learn more about Stuart Bingham, wife (Michelle Shabi), his world rankings, how he won world titles, and other fascinating facts.
Stuart Bingham, Wife Michelle Shabi, and Their Personal Life
The former World Championship winner married Michelle Shabi (now known as Michelle Bingham) in Cyprus in 2013. The ceremony required a little bit of adjustment, though, to fit around his snooker commitments: Bingham changed the date of the wedding and cancelled his stag celebrations to accommodate the matches surrounding the event. This demonstrates his dedication to the sport, a trait that saw him win his first world championship after years of hard work.
The newlyweds visited Koh Samui, Thailand, for their honeymoon. This is the country’s second-biggest island, with luxury resorts, rainforests, and the legendary golden Big Buddha statue that stands 12 metres tall.
Since marrying Stuart Bingham, wife, Michelle has been seen supporting him while he plays. Fans may have spotted her at the World Championship Snooker event in 2015, no doubt providing Bingham with crucial encouragement.
She is also on social media, maintaining Twitter and Instagram accounts. However, though she and Stuart have shared various family pictures with followers on social accounts, Michelle Shabi appears keen to maintain her privacy.
How Many Children Does Stuart Bingham Have?
Stuart Bingham’s wife, Michelle, gave birth to their first child together, Shae, in 2011. He has Shae’s name tattooed on his back, as well as various other pieces of art that have personal meanings (we’ll delve deeper into this later).
Michelle Shabi later gave birth to Marnie Rose in January 2017. Michelle also had a daughter, Tegan, with a previous partner before becoming Stuart Bingham’s wife. Bingham later adopted Tegan.
Stuart Bingham: His Highest World Rankings and Becoming a World Championship Winner
At the Australian Goldfields Open in 2011, Stuart Bingham won his first ranking title and broke into the top 16 rankings. He later achieved his highest spot in the world rankings in May 2015 (number two) after beating Shaun Murphy and winning the prestigious World Championship.
He later won his second ranking title at the 2014 Shanghai Masters final, in which he defeated Mark Allen with a 10-3 victory.
Winning the world title and being recognised for his work means a lot to Stuart. Bingham told the Southend Echo that he hoped he would be a “good role model as world champion.” He also encouraged young fans of the sport to work hard: “Any kids out there growing up wanting to play should stick at it. That’s what I’ve done.”
Bingham’s professional career has spanned a plethora of tournaments, and he has progressed through to quarter-finals and semi-finals on many occasions. For example, he reached the 2015 Players Championship Grand Finals after beating Alan McManus, Mark Allen, and veteran Mark Davis along the way. However, Bingham narrowly missed out on progression to the Players Championship Grand Final after losing to Joe Perry.
Bingham was also the Premier League Snooker winner in 2012, beating Judd Trump 7-2 in the final. He defeated John Higgins in the semi-finals, after taking on Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and Shaun Murphy. This success earned him an invitation to the 2013 Champion of Champions. Bingham played through to the semi-final, in which he faced (and lost to) Robertson.
What Other Interests Does Stuart Bingham Have?
Bingham was a keen amateur golfer but left it behind to focus on snooker more. However, he told WST in 2015 that he still plays golf occasionally but had become “a bit of a hacker”. In the same interview, Stuart Bingham admitted that he had always been interested in computers, and that he would likely work in technology if he wasn’t a snooker player.
Bingham is also passionate about tattooing: he has several animals tattooed on his back, and adds a new one whenever he picks up a snooker trophy. His current body art includes three lions, a koala, a barbary ape, and a two-headed dragon.
What do they mean? According to BBC Sport, the lions represent his victories at the 2015 World Championship, 2018 English Open, and 2012 Premier League. The Koala signifies his win at the 2011 Australian Open, and the ape commemorates his success at the 2019 Gibraltar Open.
And as for the dragon with two heads? They reflect Bingham’s triumphs at the Shanghai Masters and the Welsh Open. Stuart Bingham also has a tattoo of his daughter, Marnie Rose, on his arm.
Stuart Bingham Wins the 2020 Masters.
Bingham made it through to the first Masters final of his career in 2020, and beat Ali Carter to become the oldest Masters champion in snooker history (formerly Ray Reardon, who won in 1976). At the UK Championship in 2020, Bingham also made his seventh maximum break when he beat Zak Surety. In 2021, Bingham took part in the World Snooker Championship after defeating Luca Brecel in the final qualifying round. He progressed through the first and second rounds, then the quarter-finals (but lost to Mark Selby in the semi-final round).
Today, Stuart Bingham, wife Michelle Shabi (now Michelle Bingham), and their children live in Basildon, Essex.