Veteran snooker star Mark Allen has opened up on social media following an emotional TV interview which came after his return to the sport against Jordan Brown in the opening round of the Northern Ireland Open.

It was Allen's first game since May, when he fell just short in the World Snooker Championship semi-final. Since then, he's gone through a difficult time, all of which was touched on during the honest and incredibly raw interview.

The Northern Irishman's return ended in defeat, and whilst he did manage to level the match at 2-2, Brown built breaks of 53 and 80 in the final two frames, which eventually helped him to progress.

Mark Allen Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat on Home Soil

In the aftermath, Allen talked to TNT Sports, where he opened up on his struggles, almost breaking down as he said: "The last few months have been really difficult and it has sort of put snooker into perspective for me. I've been flooded with support, but the problems are within. At the minute, I'm just trying to survive."

He also touched on the significance of playing Brown at the Waterfront, as it resembled where it all started for him. Without this moment, he may not have even come back. Ultimately, after putting everything into the craft since age 12, Allen put it honestly. He struggled to see his 'future' in the sport.

Mark Allen Reveals Mental Health Struggles in Twitter Statement

Following the interview, Allen provided some more context regarding the situation. The 40-year-old opened up on his struggles with mental health, and how he plans to continue treatment.

"Everything I said in that interview was true. However, rest assured I’m doing my best to turn things round," he explained. "I have been in a mental health clinic for the last 10 weeks, finally discharging so I could attempt to play in Belfast. I owed that to my family, in particular my daughter, to see me play for what could be the last time."

In addition to this, he also thanked some of the people that remained by his side through this time, and have helped him on his journey to recovery. He said: "I’m not ok, but I’m ok in that itself. I’ve been much worse in the last few months than you saw yesterday. I literally didn’t see a future in anything."

He then added: "My daughter kept me going, the therapists, staff and all the other patients were amazing and helped me through some really dark days I see the light now that I couldn’t see before but I do now.

"I see the light now that I couldn’t see before but I do now. I also know it won’t happen overnight. I’m a work in progress!!! My fight and determination on the table has always been there for ones to see. I need to show those same fighting qualities off it now for a while."

Allen also asked that his opponent Brown be given full credit for his opening round victory.

"Please don’t detract anything from Jordan yesterday, he’s been aware of my struggles and that can’t have been easy to play in but he handled it with grace and skill as I knew he would. I'm proud to call him a friend."

"I hope the rest of the event is a success and I will continue my treatment going forward and then see what’s ahead."

In closing, he thanked fans for the support, before insisting he had not been pressured into doing the viral interview, calling the care he has received from the World Snooker Tour "amazing".