A documentary on Ken Doherty's 1997 triumph at the World Snooker Championship will air tonight on Virgin Media One at 10 pm.
It's now been a quarter of a century since the Ranelagh native held off dominant champion Stephen Hendry in a gripping final that was one of the most-watched sporting events involving an Irish person of the 1990s.
Ahead of its release, the 52-year-old shared some insights into his personal life as he explained that while he and ex-wife Sarah are separated, they remain on good terms as they look after their son Christian, 14.
He told Irish Sunday Mirror: “It was an amicable split, we’d been together for 20 years and we’ve got a son together.
“We both love him very much and we’re both still friends. We still talk on the phone.”
Sadly, Ken lost his dad Tony when he was only 13.
This meant an extra burden was placed on his mam Rose whom he credits with instilling in him essential values such as work ethic and resolve that put him on the path to becoming a world champion.
He added: “I’d probably say that I got my determination from her. She instilled all those qualities in me.
“She was a very loving mother, very religious, everything was about the home and school.
“I got a good lot of inspiration from her, particularly after my father died.
“That was tough times, that toughened me up as well.”
In one brilliant anecdote, he recalls how despite coming home to a hero’s welcome and an open top bus, it was back to business for his mum in the aftermath of him reaching the summit of the snooker world.
“My mother was a great baker and she used to bake apple tarts for the local Spar shop.
“There was one time that the manager was so busy he couldn’t come up for them.
“It was eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, I’d been out on Friday night, probably in Night Owls with the lads.
“It’s 1997 and I’m world champion. She shouts up ‘Kenneth, you got to take the apple tarts down to the local Spar’.
“She gave me a bread board... there’s probably 12 or 14 apple tarts, I’m carrying them through the middle of Ranelagh at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning.
“People are beeping the horn saying ‘Doherty what are you doing?’
“Whether I was world champion or not I was still her son and I still had to do the chores".
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