By Elliott West
Introduction
Lynn Higgins, the former wife of Alex, is definitely one of the most devoted and loving women that I have ever researched for a piece. She didn’t have to be but she chose to be because she was and still is deeply in love with the troubled genius, Alex Higgins. It was a great love affair that ended with the two getting married in 1980 but eventually caused them to drift apart with Alex choosing to move on to a new girlfriend, Siobhan Kidd.
Two Hearts
Lynn first met Alex in a wine bar in Manchester in the mid-seventies. Let’s say it wasn’t love at first sight with Lynn describing Higgins as ‘cocky and weird’. Alex had tried his luck with her initially by approaching and asking if he could buy her a drink? An offer that received a sharp rebuff with Lynn replying, “No, I can buy my own”. However, Alex was determined to woo this stunning woman and set his mind on a course to woo her. Undeterred, he later tracked her down to her office in the airport and had to ask Lynn out three times before she eventually accepted.
Lynn fell for the kind side of Alex, a side that the media often fails to tell of this Irish great. This is what made him loveable and caused him to become besotted with his new love interest. Alex wined and dined her, taking Lynn to expensive French restaurants and on one occasion, presented her with an antique ring. Alex wanted this woman to be his wife and had to ask twice before Lynn accepted. A decision that she later explained:
“I was happy the way things were. I felt I had the upper hand when we weren’t married and I didn’t want things to change”.
This marriage proposal was not only accepted by Lynn eventually due to a slowly growing love for Alex but a desire to have children. Something that both of them wanted and happened shortly after their extravagant white wedding in Stockport in 1980 with the birth of Lauren in 1981.
The Devoted Father
Alex was always a great father and was even until his early passing. The birth of Lauren in 1981 seemed to give him a new purpose in life and rejuvenated his playing career after several years in the doldrums. Higgins once again had a glint in his eye and a spring in his step. However, this would be a bittersweet pill. Lynn was still the devoted wife, constantly trying to steer the snooker genius in the right direction and at first, this seemed to succeed with the pair travelling the length and breadth of the country and Alex often pocketing £1,000 per night. Lynn was the steadying influence in Alex’s chaotic lifestyle and the Irishman appreciated that his wife was sensible and grounded. They would often go out to dinner with snooker friends such as John Virgo or simply stay at home and have a simple dinner of mince and potatoes. Lynn was the one who picked up the discarded notes and loose change on the bedroom floor and hide the money away for a deposit on a bungalow.
A Success tinged with Sadness
Alex liked to shower his wife with gifts during their five years of marriage. He bought her a Baume and Mercier watch when Lauren was born and five cars during their relationship, including a Mazda, a Hillman, a Mercedes and to her horror, a Rolls Royce. A purchase that she reacted to, saying:
‘I told him, “I’m 5ft 3in!”. “I’m grounded and normal. I’d have to sit on a cuyshion even to drive it. If you think I’m driving through Cheadle village in a Rolls Royce-no way”.
The car inevitably was taken back to the showroom. However it wouldn’t end there, his wife had to additionally deal with Alex’s binge drinking and his frequent visits to casinos with Lynn often finding £500 betting slips scattered around the house. Higgins was a compulsive gambler but inevitably lost more than he won. An addiction that was literally spurred on by the thrill of the chase.
Lynn describes Alex as one of the nicest people sober, looking after Lauren and doing the cooking and cleaning. However, when he drank, his personality changed, becoming argumentative and verbally aggressive. He never hit his wife but it was those constant arguments that inevitably ground her down.
Perhaps the glimmer of light came in 1982 when Alex won the World Championship. It was definitely his greatest win, physically taking all his energy to claim the title. A victorious moment that caused him to beckon his wife and baby onto the Crucible stage. However, Lynn still had a feeling in her stomach that this moment wouldn’t last and recalls her feelings at the time:
“I stood in that arena and the only thing I could think was, “Everything is going to change”.And it did.It went over his head, winning the championship. Not overnight, just gradually. Gradually, we seemed to drift apart”.
This was the beginning of the end of their marriage and by 1985, it was all over the pair. Lynn wanted a quiet and stable relationship but deep down she knew that Alex couldn’t offer that. Their love wasn’t sadly enough to keep them together but she never stopped loving him. A poignant reminder being that she never changed her married name back to her maiden name and remained single to avoid hurting the two children, Lauren and Jordan that they had together. The rows that had led to a Waterford glass and television being thrown through a window and Lynn having to lock herself in the bedroom due to Alex’s tirades. A behaviour that continued after their parting with Alex often turning up at the family home, drunk and demanding to see the children, throwing a skateboard through a window on one occasion and the police having to be called.
Lynn’s only regret was that her children witnessed the disintegration of their marriage but she continued to be on the other end of a phone for the Irishman until his death. News of his passing, coming from a phone call, when his sister Anne visited Higgins’ rented flat in Belfast and found Alex dead in bed, a place where he may have been for several days. Alex had passed away from malnutrition. News that left Lynn and Lauren inconsolable.
