‘My life changes on one shot’: Joe Johnson on snooker glory, Princess Diana and his seven heart attacks

After starting the 1986 world championships as a 150-1 outsider victory against Steve Davis led to watching tennis with royalty and being mobbed in Tesco “It was like a strange dream,” Joe Johnson says as he remembers becoming the world snooker champion 40 years ago as a 150-1 outsider and former gas board and factory worker who was the father of six children. Johnson had never previously won a game at the Crucible and he had struggled for years to make a living as a pro. It was a time when B...

By Donald McRae