26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Steve Davis' surprise new career, split from wife and affair with 19-year-old
Steve Davis' surprise new career, split from wife and affair with 19-year-old
The snooker legend was once dubbed 'the most boring player in the world' but a lot has changed since he retired from playing
Davis has had a surprising change of career since retiring
(Image: PA )
During his illustrious snooker career, Steve Davis was dubbed the "most boring player in the world"
After bursting onto the scene in the late 1970s, the Londoner dominated the sport throughout the following decade, reaching eight World Championship finals and winning six world titles, while he held the world number one ranking for seven consecutive seasons. He did all of it with a no nonsense style, as he got on with the game at hand and blew away his opponents at the table.
His approach was a complete contrast to the styles of the more outgoing characters of the sport at that time, such as Jimmy White, while it even earned him the sarcastic nickname 'Interesting' on Spitting Image.
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However, as he entered the tail end of his career, Davis played on the image and, since retiring in 2016, has gone on to live a life quite different to that of the character he was made out to be. He is now a popular member of the BBC's commentary and punditry team for major snooker competitions, but there is still more to him than meets the eye.
From a surprise change of career to wild affair claims, here's everything you need to know about the 67-year-old's life away from the snooker table.
Surprise career change
Since retiring, Davis has swapped the baize for the turntables and is now a successful DJ and musician who has played all across the country.
After hanging up his cue, the prog rock fan - who has collected over 10,000 records - formed an electro band called the Utopia Strong alongside musician Kavus Torabi, recording two albums with them.
He has gone on to play techno gigs at Glastonbury Festival, while he has also supported Blur at Wembley Stadium and worked as a producer on several other musical projects.
Speaking to the Mirror, Davis admitted his new career was "ridiculous", confessing: "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.
On playing at the world famous 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."
Of course, his DJ career is not Davis' first foray into music, having started presenting a soul and rock show on Brentwood's Phoenix FM in 1996. He also famously collaborated with Chas & Dave on 'Snooker Loopy' as part of 'The Matchroom Mob' which also featured Terry Griffiths, Tony Meo, Dennis Taylor and Willie Thorne.
Outside of snooker, the 67-year-old has also shown his versatility over the years, competing in the World Pool League and serving as president of the British Chess Federation from 1996 to 2001
Split from wife
Davis married ex-Concorde flight attendant Judy Greig in 1990 and they had two sons - Greg and Jack - together.
However, after 15 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2005 with the snooker ace admitting his wife had "met someone else".
"Perhaps I was giving the table a bit too much attention," he later told MailOnline. "I was difficult to live with. But so are all sports people — horrible. We're all 'Me, me, me!' And so selfish!"
The split came a decade on from a British tabloid newspaper paying 19-year-old dancer Cheree Palla over £30,000 to print her allegations that she had a brief affair with Davis, who was 39 at the time.
Palla, now a beauty therapist, claimed that they had sex seven times a night and later hailed him "king of the bedroom".
"I wasn't a politician, I was a snooker player — I was only an ambassador of that sport," Davis later said. "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".
While his wife forgave him, they divorced 10 years later with Davis going on to begin a long-term relationship with accounts worker Jeannie Nash, who was 16 years his junior
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Huge net worth
As one of the most successful snooker players of all time, it's perhaps unsurprising that Davis is also one of the wealthiest.
He earned over £5.6 million in winnings over the course of his career, while lucrative endorsements set up for him by manager Barry Hearn saw him become the UK's highest paid sportsperson in the latter half of the 1980s.
However, according to reports, Davis' net worth is significantly higher having moved into commentary and other avenues since retiring, with his net worth reported to be around a staggering £26.5 million.
