Copyright dailyrecord
During his extraordinarily triumphant snooker journey, Steve Davis attracted the playful nickname of the "most boring player in the world". After his emergence on the professional scene in the late 1970s, the London-born sensation went on to rule the sport for years. Davis made it to eight World Championship finals and secured six world titles, whilst holding the world number one spot for seven straight seasons. In stark opposition to the more vibrant characters of that snooker period, including personalities like Jimmy White and Alex Higgins, Davis achieved enormous success through his calculated method, simply concentrating on matches and systematically dismantling rivals at the table, reports the Manchester Evening News . His low-key approach even led to him being sarcastically called 'Interesting' on the satirical puppet show Spitting Image. It became a reputation he began to accept as he neared the conclusion of his snooker journey, and since stepping away in 2016, he has led a life quite removed from the character he was depicted as. Now a respected TV analyst covering major snooker competitions around the world, there's much more to the 67 year old than initially apparent, with an unexpected new profession developing 30 years after he left people stunned with disclosures of an affair with a 19 year old, reports Wales Online. Surprising new career Following his retirement, Davis has exchanged the snooker table for the turntables and carved out a name for himself as a thriving DJ and musician, taking to stages nationwide. Shortly after putting down his cue, the progressive rock devotee - who has built up a collection of over 10,000 vinyl records - created an electro outfit called the Utopia Strong alongside musician Kavus Torabi and cut two albums with them. He has subsequently delivered techno sets at Glastonbury Festival, backed Blur at Wembley Stadium and undertaken production duties for numerous other musical projects. Most recently, he handpicked the line-up for the 2025 Simple Things Festival in Bristol, leaving festival-goers who were oblivious to the six-time snooker world champion's fresh endeavours completely bewildered. In response to a promotional video for the festival, which featured Davis, one follower wrote: "Is this actually Steve Davis or an AI video? I hope it's real because it's pretty cool lol." Another replied: "The first thing I've seen and thought 'that's AI' that has turned out to be mind-boggling factual," while a third wrote: "I did not expect this at all - respect to Steve Davis." Meanwhile, one fan summed it all up by writing: "Incredible. This guy has so much talent it makes my head spin. And he's funny and charismatic. Who'd have thought he was this guy 35 years ago? I love it! !" In a chat with the Mirror, Davis admitted his surprising career journey was "ridiculous", explaining: "I didn't know my life would turn out like this. You haven't got a clue. My life seems to have gone in reverse. "I started off as a snooker player -practising for eight hours a day in a dark room, and I ended up at Glastonbury DJing. You just don't know what is going to happen." Looking back on his performance at the legendary festival, he added: "I come from another world. The snooker world is not that way so it passed me by. Music is my drug of choice." Naturally, Davis' DJ pursuits aren't his initial foray into music. He kicked off by presenting a soul and rock show on Brentwood's Phoenix FM in 1996. He also memorably joined forces with Chas and Dave on 'Snooker Loopy' as part of 'The Matchroom Mob,' which also included Terry Griffiths, Tony Meo, Dennis Taylor, and Willie Thorne. Outside of snooker, the 67 year old has also showcased his varied abilities over the years, taking part in the World Pool League and serving as president of the British Chess Federation from 1996 to 2001. Davis wed former Concorde air hostess Judy Greig in 1990, and the pair welcomed two sons, Greg and Jack. Yet, following a 15-year union, they split in 2005, with the snooker legend disclosing that his spouse had "met someone else". "Perhaps I was giving the table a bit too much attention," he later confessed to MailOnline. "I was difficult to live with. But so are all sports people - horrible. We're all 'Me, me, me!' And so selfish!". The breakdown occurred 10 years after a British tabloid newspaper paid 19 year old dancer Cheree Palla £30,000 to publish her claims that she embarked on a brief affair with Davis, who was 39 at the time. Palla, who now works as a beauty therapist, alleged that they had sex seven times a night and later dubbed Davis "king of the bedroom". "I wasn't a politician, I was a snooker player - I was only an ambassador of that sport," Davis later commented. "So I didn't lose much sleep over it in the end really. It's not like I had people all over the place. I think my street cred went up quite a lot actually". Whilst his spouse pardoned him, they separated 10 years later, with Davis then beginning a lengthy relationship with accounts worker Jeannie Nash, who was 16 years his junior. As one of the most accomplished snooker players of all time, it's scarcely shocking that Davis is also amongst the richest. During his career, he accumulated over £5.6 million in prize money, whilst profitable sponsorship agreements arranged for him by his manager Barry Hearn saw him become the UK's highest paid sportsperson in the latter half of the 1980s. Yet, it's reported that Davis' fortune has seen a significant boost since he hung up his boots and ventured into commentary and other pursuits, with his current net worth estimated to be an eye-watering £26.5 million.
