Ali Carter: Snooker player gets all-clear from cancer

Ali Carter has won three rankings events in his professional snooker career

Ali Carter has been given the all-clear by doctors after he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his lung in May.

Carter, 35, a two-time World Snooker Championship finalist, was fighting cancer for a second time after he had battled testicular cancer in 2013.

He said on Twitter: "Two beautiful words that I've been waiting for 'all clear'. I can now concentrate on getting my life and career back.

"I will be glad when this year is over. Some better things to come in 2015."

Carter's manager Steve Daintry told BBC Sport: "He went in for tests on Monday and had full body scans and blood tests.

"He has been on tenterhooks all week and on Friday, professor Neville Davidson said he was completely all-clear, with nothing to worry about. It couldn't have gone any better.

"Although things had been looking good, this was the biggest test to see how his body had responded to the treatment.

"It's a big weight off Ali's mind. He can get back to a normal life and put the cancer behind him."

Essex-based Carter, who has won three ranking events during his professional career, finished as runner-up in the 2008 and 2012 World Championships.

After his diagnosis in May, he missed the first five months of the 2014-15 snooker season, before winning the General Cup, a non-ranking event held in Hong Kong in October.

He then played in the Champions of Champions event in November and got a standing ovation from the crowd in his first ranking event match at the UK Championship later that month.

"It has been a crazy, hard year for Ali and this is just a massive relief for him," added Daintry.

"He is a very down to Earth guy and he is very popular - the reaction and support he has had from his family, his friends, his fans and from the snooker family has been brilliant.

"The main thing for him is to get some normality back in his life. He wants to get back playing snooker and has a different perspective on life now."