The Masters snooker final referee is forbidden from taking charge of one player on the World Snooker Tour - because she is married to him. Tatiana Woollaston, one of the most respected officials in the game, is taking charge of the Alexandra Palace showpiece between Kyren Wilson and John Higgins.

It will be the Belarus-born referee's second Triple Crown final after she oversaw the UK Championship finale between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins in 2024. She has also refereed a World Championship semi-final. Woollaston has taken charge of matches involving most of the top stars in today's game, except husband Ben. The couple, who married in 2011 and have two children, were brought together by snooker but keep their respective careers as separate as possible. Speaking ahead of the 2024 UK Championship, she said: "He's on the circuit as a player, I'm on the circuit as a referee.

"We've never really mix that. I'm obviously not allowed to referee his games and I wouldn't want to, to be fair."

The couple have played and refereed at the same tournaments, including the World Championship and the UK Championship. Ben, the world number 36, hasn't figured at the Masters as the prestigious invitational event is reserved for the game's top 16 players.

Tatiana is honoured to be taking charge of one of the sport's biggest events in front of 2,000 fans inside Ally Pally and millions around the world. Ahead of the final, she said: "I'm really, really excited. It's massive event for the players, the Triple Crown events. But it's also massive for the referees. I'm really looking forward to it."

It's little surprise Tatiana has been given the Masters final, given the esteem she is held in by players and fellow officials. She has won praise from Ronnie O'Sullivan, who has called her the "best ref in the world by a mile."

Refereeing is not actually Woollaston's full-time job as she works as a merchandiser for Next, whose head office is in Leicester, where she lives with Ben and their sons.

She said in 2024: "It's a great company to work for and they're very supportive of my refereeing career.

"They've been flexible with giving me time off when I need to go away or I sometimes work from hotels rooms rather than come into the office. They're really proud to see me on TV."