KEN DOHERTY has become a mainstay at the World Snooker Championship, and for a good reason.

Doherty, 54, is a six-time champion and has made it to the final of a major competition a staggering 17 times throughout his near 34-year career.

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The Irish star was born on September 17, 1969 in Dublin and grew up admiring snooker legend Alex Higgins.

The Darlin’ of Dublin’s career kicked off shortly after he left school and moved to London to start competing in various youth tournaments where he shone bright.

That led to a glittering career that soon turned Doherty into one of the sport’s biggest legends.

The Irishman’s greatest moment took place at the Crucible back in 1997 when he defeated Stephen Hendry 18-12 to become world champion.

Crafty Ken became only the second player after Cliff Thorburn from outside of the UK to win the World Championship.

What about Ken Doherty’s media career?

Doherty has been working as a commentator for the BBC since the 2009 Masters.

The snooker great has been a major figure during the channel’s coverage of the sport’s triple crown events.

During the coronavirus pandemic, he also began working on ITV’s snooker coverage.

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And Doherty currently presents a sports programme on Sunshine 106.8FM on Saturday mornings.

And how about Doherty’s private life?

Doherty is married to wife Sarah with whom he has a son named Christian.

The snooker star is a massive Manchester United fan, so much so that he paraded the World Championship trophy in front of a capacity crowd at Old Trafford in 1997.