Snooker legend Stephen Hendry faced upheaval in his life after splitting up with his wife after almost two decades of marriage
Seven-time world snooker champion turned TV pundit Stephen Hendry is an icon of the sport(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Snooker icon Stephen Hendry was forced to shell out a fortune in divorce bills after splitting from his wife of 19 years. The Scottish hero became the sport’s youngest-ever winner of the World Snooker Championship at the age of 21 years and 106 days – a record which he still holds to this day.
The knowledgeable Hendry, 57, will be on punditry duty at this year’s championship, beginning on Saturday. Known as one of the greatest to ever hold a cue, he also held the number one spot in the world rankings between April 1990 and May 1998.
He tasted success at The Masters too, lifting six titles at the prestigious tournament – including five consecutively between 1989 and 1993 – as well as five UK Championships.
One highly documented element of his personal life is his divorce from his wife, however, after he fell for a children’s performer and actress who is 19 years younger than the Scotsman. Wales Online takes a closer look at Hendry’s personal life.
What is Stephen Hendry’s net worth?
Hendry is reported to be worth a staggering £13.5million. His prize money in the game was achieved by 36 ranking tournament wins over the course of his career, from 57 finals.
He has also seen success in team tournaments, winning a World Doubles Championship and a World Masters Men’s Doubles alongside Mike Hallett. He has also picked up a World Cup and a Nations Cup for Scotland and a Euro-Asia Team Challenge with Team Europe.
Stephen Hendry earned a hefty amount of prize money on the table(Image: VCG via Getty Images)
He continues to make his money by working in the world of snooker, despite no longer playing at the highest level. His YouTube channel ‘Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips‘ has been highly successful with almost half a million subscribers, while he also lends a regular hand with punditry work.
Why did Stephen Hendry get a divorce?
His astonishing wealth came in handy when he was forced to settle a major divorce bill. Hendry met his first wife, Mandy, at Pontins when he was just 16. They tied the knot in 1995 and had two sons together, Blaine and Carter.
However, the couple divorced in 2014 following 19 years of marriage. Speaking about this in his 2018 autobiography, Me and the Table, Hendry discussed the massive divorce bill he faced.
“The three years between my leaving and the divorce itself are the most stressful of my life. The legal bill from the divorce comes to a hefty six-figure sum. Mandy will continue to live in the house in Scotland with the boys,” he wrote.
Addressing how his divorce came to fruition, and how he met his current partner Lauren Thundow, he said: “People talk about mid-life crisis. But I met someone else and it knocked me for six.
Stephen Hendry and his ex-wife Mandy(Image: Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images)
“Driving back from a shopping trip, my wife Mandy asks me what’s wrong. She assumes it’s money-related. I tell her it isn’t. Then she tells me to stop the car, saying that we’re not going an inch further until I tell her what’s going on.
“So I do. I tell her that I have feelings for someone else. She is shocked and devastated. It’s the last thing she expected me to say. She knows me well enough to know that other women have never been my thing.
“We drive home in a fog of bewilderment, but we don’t tell the children. There are tears and conversations late into the evening. Mandy informs me she wants me to move out until we’ve sorted things.
“I stay with friends and family while Mandy and I attempt to patch up our marriage. We agree to give it another go. I’m riddled with guilt about the whole thing, but I’m also in love with someone else.”
Who is Stephen Hendry’s girlfriend?
Hendry began dating children’s entertainer and actress Thundow after they first met at a snooker event over 10 years ago. At the time, Thundow was 26 and Hendry was 45, leaving an eye-catching 19-year age difference between the two.
Hendry left Mandy for Thundow (pictured)(Image: Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Writing in Me and The Table about their meeting, Hendry said: “I first met Lauren when she was selling merchandise after a Legends snooker exhibition. She’s attractive and we smile at each other but I think nothing of it. Gradually, we start to say, ‘Hi’, and share a bit of small talk.
“I would never be one to go striding over to any woman who caught my eye – after all. I’m the person who got to know my wife’s parents before I plucked up the courage to talk to her.
“As time goes on, we chat more often. It’s becoming clear we have a connection… Over the next few months Lauren and I become friendly. After a while we realise we’re falling in love.” Hendry and Thundow have now been together for almost 12 years.
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