Steve Davis, the six-time world snooker champion, has traded the baize for the decks, establishing a second career as a DJ and musician that has helped swell his fortune to an estimated £26.5m. A decade after retiring from the sport he dominated in the 1980s, the 69-year-old now devotes much of his time to electronic music with his band, The Utopia Strong.
From Snooker Halls to Music Venues
The Utopia Strong, formed in 2018, grew out of an impromptu performance at Glastonbury that year. Guitarist Kavus Torabi and Michael J. York completed the three-piece line-up, which has since released four albums. The band toured the UK in May 2026, playing dates in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Exeter, Leicester, Hull and Glasgow, along with several smaller towns. They appeared on BBC Breakfast in 2023 and headlined the Angel Field Festival at the Capstone Theatre, Liverpool Hope University, last year.
The group is scheduled to return to the stage in May 2027 with a performance at The Rondo Theatre in Bath. Fans can meanwhile enjoy the band's most recent recordings, including the 2025 album Doperider.
Affair and Divorce
Davis married Judith, a former Concorde flight attendant, in 1990. The couple had two sons, Greg and Jack, before their marriage was rocked by revelations in 1995 of an extra-marital affair. A UK tabloid paid 19-year-old Cheree Palla £32,000 to disclose details of the liaison, when Davis, nicknamed 'Nugget', was 39.
Palla told The Sun in 2013: "To this day not one man has even compared to Steve in the sack. I mean it, not even close. I was only young and I don't think I really appreciated what an animal he was. We would make love seven times a night. I was only 19 and I wasn't experienced at all. I honestly thought it was normal. I have been very disappointed ever since. I haven't had a lover that could hold a candle to him. He taught me everything." She added: "I am double the age I was then and I still can't forget how passionate and crazy he was under the sheets. He wasn't a selfish lover, he was very attentive."
Judith initially forgave Davis, but the couple divorced in 2005. Reflecting on the affair, Davis downplayed its impact, saying: "I wasn't a politician, I was a snooker player - I was only an ambassador of that sport. 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."
Financial Legacy
Davis found new love with Jeannie Nash, 16 years his junior, shortly after the breakdown of his marriage, and the couple remain together. His wealth, built during snooker's peak popularity in the UK, has been boosted by a punditry career with the BBC and TNT Sports. He earned over £5.6m in tournament prize money and, through his partnership with manager Barry Hearn, became the UK's top-earning sportsman at one stage. His current net worth of around £26.5m reflects the substantial earning power of a player with such a formidable reputation.
