Steve Davis: The Snooker Legend’s Surprising New Career
The world of snooker has long been familiar with the name Steve Davis, the London-born legend who dominated the sport throughout the 1980s with his no-nonsense style and incredible skill at the table. Dubbed the "most boring player in the world" due to his straightforward approach to the game, Davis has undergone a significant transformation since retiring from professional snooker in 2016. As reported by Wales Online, Davis has embarked on a surprising new career that is a far cry from his days as a professional snooker player.
During his illustrious career, Davis reached eight World Championship finals, won six world titles, and held the world number one ranking for seven consecutive seasons. His approach to the game was in stark contrast to the more outgoing personalities of the sport at the time, such as Jimmy White. This earned him the sarcastic nickname ‘Interesting’ on Spitting Image. However, as he entered the tail end of his career, Davis began to play on his image, and since retiring, he has gone on to live a life that is quite different from that of the character he was made out to be.
According to Wales Online, 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.
In an interview with the Mirror, Davis admitted that 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." As quoted in the Wales Online article, Davis added that music is his "drug of choice".
Davis’ DJ career is not his 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.
In his personal life, Davis has experienced his fair share of ups and downs. He 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 Davis admitting that his wife had "met someone else". The split came a decade after a British tabloid newspaper paid 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.
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. 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.
In conclusion, Steve Davis’ life after professional snooker has been a surprising and eventful one. From his new career as a DJ and musician to his personal life and huge net worth, Davis has proven that there is more to him than meets the eye. As reported by Wales Online, Davis’ story is a fascinating insight into the life of a sporting legend.
