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MATTHEW STEVENS has certainly been on a rollercoaster ride over the years.
And that includes earning £950 from a poker tournament just metres from the Big One in Blackpool.
Matthew Stevens has had plenty of success and struggles during his snooker careerGetty - ContributorBut he made his name as a snooker star with two epic runs at the Crucible.
However, the Welshman has had his fair share of troubling times, too – including losing his millions in the bank as he went bankrupt.
Now Stevens, 46, is focusing on keeping himself back on track at the baize.
SO CLOSE…
Stevens turned pro in 1994 and made his big break at the 1998 UK Championship, losing in the final to John Higgins.
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He made it to back-to-back finals as part of an incredible 1999-2000 season that saw him reach all three Triple Crown finals.
The fluent Welsh speaker beat Ken Doherty in the Masters at Wembley but came unstuck in the first of his two World Championship finals.
Close pal and fellow Welsham Mark Williams landed the 2000 world title before Shaun Murphy came out on top five years later as Stevens fell agonisingly short again.
SO FAR…
But Stevens went one step further in the final of the UK’s biggest poker tournament in 2004.
The Welsh Dragon beat darts legend Phil Taylor and tennis ace Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the televised Texas hold ’em final of the Pacific Poker Open in Maidstone.
His shock victory came just 18 months after he started playing poker and saw him pocket a whopping £260,000 in prize money.
And due to the exchange rates at the time, he immediately jetted off to New York to splash the cash.
Stevens added £6,000 for a second-place finish in London in 2006 and that £950 after coming 20th in Blackpool the year after that.
Getty
AFPFINANCIAL WOES
But despite his big bank boost from his poker exploits and snooker success, things went downhill for Stevens.
He had racked up more than £3million in earnings from prize money, sponsorships and poker.
But in early 2015, he was declared bankrupt.
Stevens’ father Morrell, an accountant, had been his manager and looked after his finances until his sad death in 2001.
He admitted his money woes “got out of hand” and an unpaid tax bill of £60,000 in January 2015 appeared to be the final straw.
Lee Thompson - The SunBITTER SPLIT
To make matters worse, just weeks after his bankruptcy, he separated from his wife in acrimonious fashion.
Matthew and Clare had met in a Swansea kebab shop but tied the knot in 2009 in far more glamorous surroundings, on the beach in Jamaica.
They had two sons together but their relationship soured with angry accusations flung from both sides.
Matthew claimed Clare of seeing another man while Clare blamed their break-up on the snooker star’s drinking.
Stevens – who did receive a ban for drink-driving – was left heartbroken to see his ex’s new partner driving his Mercedes and BMW cars.
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He told The Sun: “I did question her quite a lot and she’d say, ‘Don’t be so stupid.’
“But one day I found her phone and it had quite a lot of explicit messages from a bloke. I left the house straight away.
“It was heartbreaking and at the same time a relief to know I wasn’t imagining things.
“Things weren’t right and you suspect what’s going on. You have to go to tournaments thinking about this.
“I’m not saying I was perfect in the marriage. I went through a rough patch after my dad died.
Lee Thompson - The Sun
Lee Thompson - The Sun“I was drinking everything really, beer, vodka. But I didn’t do it when I had my kids to look after.
“I was paying the mortgage for the family house after I left and that was hard to take as there was another guy living there, too. I was paying for him as well.
“Her boyfriend was driving around in my cars. I was banned from driving and had to get taxis everywhere and sometimes I’d pass him in my car.
“It was torture. Very frustrating.”
Meanwhile, Clare – who had a baby with her new partner – hit back: “The court accepted this. He’s signed this and admitted he was at fault for our marriage breakdown due to his excessive drinking.
“We were together for 11 years and are now divorced. He’s had his rocky patches. I wanted to finish it a year prior to when I actually did because he was that bad.
“I fell out of love with him. I was resenting him in the end. I didn’t want him around.
“He has a good heart — but he’s messed his life up, and mine. I’m happy now, and so are my kids.”
MORE HEARTACHE
As well as losing his father in his mid-20s, Stevens suffered more tragedy in 2006.
His best friend and fellow snooker star Paul Hunter died from cancer aged just 27.
Stevens was a pallbearer at the funeral on an emotional day in Leeds.
BACK TO THE TABLE
Following his two final defeats, he eventually landed the biggest title of his career when he edged past Hendry in the 2003 UK Championship in York.
Stevens made his way up to No4 in the world rankings during the 2005-06 campaign and has one maximum 147 break to his name.
Nearly 20 years on, despite his struggles away from the table, he remains a professional snooker star, plugging away on the tour.
Stevens earned £39,500 last year but lost in qualifying for the 2024 World Champs at the Crucible.
Now ranked 48th, his last ranking final was back at the 2013 World Open in China where he lost to Mark Allen.
PA:Press Association
PA:Press Association
Stevens has reached two World Snooker Championship finalsAction Images - Reuters
His last ranking final was the 2013 World Open in ChinaGetty - Contributor
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