Vikki Layton is a former Irish international pool player, cancer survivor, and the wife of four-time World Snooker Champion Mark Selby.
She built a legitimate sporting career of her own before her relationship with Mark brought her to wider public attention, making her one of the rare sporting partners who understands elite competition from personal experience rather than merely as a supportive bystander.
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Vikki Layton Biography
She was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, and grew up in the town before eventually relocating to Leicester to be with Mark Selby.
Her exact birth date has been reported inconsistently across sources; some cite March 15, 1982, while others suggest a different year entirely. It is confirmed that she is in her early to mid-forties as of 2026 and was raised in Ipswich, where she attended Holywells High School, now known as Ipswich Academy.
Her father, Terry Layton, and mother, Maria Layton, raised her in Ipswich, where the family still resides. Vikki has maintained a close relationship with her parents throughout her adult life, regularly returning to Ipswich with Mark to visit them.
The couple is often spotted at the nearby Gainsborough Labour and Social Club, enjoying a game of pool with her parents during visits home.
Academically, Vikki completed her schooling entirely in Ipswich before pursuing a career in professional pool rather than higher education. She became a former Irish international pool player, competing at the highest level of the sport before her relationship with Mark Selby brought her into the snooker world.
It is through a professional pool that she first crossed paths with Mark in 2006, making her one of the rare sporting partners who genuinely understands the dedication, sacrifice, and mental focus required to compete at an elite level.
Mark Selby Wife
Vikki Layton and Mark Selby first met in 2006 through the professional pool circuit, where both competed at a high level. A mutual friend helped them exchange phone numbers, and Mark eventually found the courage to ask Vikki out.
Their relationship developed gradually, with Vikki relocating from Ipswich to Leicester to be with Mark two years after they began dating in 2008.
In 2010, Mark proposed to Vikki on a gondola in Venice, one of the most romantic proposals in snooker history. They initially planned to marry in Cancun, Mexico, in 2011 and celebrated with family and friends there, before their lives were turned upside down by a devastating diagnosis that would test everything they had built together.
In early 2016, Vikki was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 34 years old, just as the couple was preparing their formal wedding ceremony.
The diagnosis came as a profound shock, but Mark Selby immediately stood by her side, adjusting his tournament schedule to attend treatments and providing unwavering emotional support throughout her battle.
The snooker community and their fans rallied around the couple, offering love and encouragement from around the world. After months of intensive treatment, Vikki went into remission in 2017, a moment of extraordinary relief and celebration for the entire Selby family.
With cancer behind her, Vikki and Mark were finally able to plan the wedding they had always dreamed of. In June 2018, they married in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and friends, a joyful occasion that symbolised their enduring love and triumph over adversity.
Together, Mark and Vikki have one daughter, Sofia Maria Selby, born in November 2014. Sofia has grown up accompanying her parents to major snooker tournaments around the world, regularly photographed celebrating her father’s victories at the Crucible and beyond.
Most recently, Mark celebrated with Vikki and daughter Sofia after winning the 2025 Victorian Plumbing UK Championship final, a moment that perfectly captured the strength and unity of the Selby family after everything they have faced together.
Vikki Career
Vikki Layton is a former professional pool player who competed at an international level before her relationship with Mark Selby brought her into the snooker world.
She represented Ireland at international pool competitions, reaching a level of the sport that very few players ever achieve.
Her background as a high-level competitor gives her a unique and genuine understanding of the dedication, sacrifice, and mental fortitude required to compete at elite sport; something she has credited as essential to supporting Mark through the highs and lows of his snooker career.
Beyond the pool, Vikki has built a quiet but purposeful life in Leicester as a mother, cancer survivor, and supportive partner. She regularly accompanies Mark to major tournaments across the United Kingdom and Europe, and has become a familiar and beloved figure in the snooker community.
Her composure and warmth at courtside during Mark’s most pressure-filled matches have earned her enormous respect among snooker fans who have followed the couple’s journey over nearly two decades together.
Mark Selby is one of the greatest snooker players in the history of the sport. Born on June 19, 1983, in Leicester, he turned professional in 1999 at just 16 years old after winning the England Under-15 Championship in 1998.
He won his first ranking title at the 2008 Welsh Open and went on to become a four-time World Snooker Champion, winning the title in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021.
He has also won the Masters and UK Championship three times each, giving him ten Triple Crown titles in total, placing him behind only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, and Steve Davis on the all-time list. He has been ranked world number one on multiple occasions throughout his career.
Vikki Layton’s Net Worth
Vikki’s personal net worth is estimated at around $500,000 to $1 million as of 2026, accumulated through her professional pool career and various personal ventures over the years.
While the specific details of her current income have never been made public, her long-standing presence in professional sport suggests a comfortable and independent financial foundation entirely her own.
Mark Selby’s net worth is estimated at approximately $10 million as of 2026, built across more than two decades as one of snooker’s most successful and consistent performers.
His earnings come from tournament prize money, endorsements, and sponsorship deals accumulated over a career that has seen him win 25 ranking titles and four World Championship titles.
Despite his considerable wealth, Mark and Vikki are known for living a deliberately modest and grounded lifestyle, focused on family, health, and the simple pleasures of life rather than extravagance.
