Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne was born in Leicester on 4 March 1954. His parents ran the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Braunston.
In Strictly Come Dancing, Willie Thorne partnered Erin Boag, however they were eliminated in the third week.
As a professional snooker player, Willie Thorne made a record 190 maximum breaks.
Thorne turned snooker professional in 1975. His highest world ranking was seventh which he achieved in both the 1983/4 and 1986/7 seasons.
Global Snooker Centre has a good account of Willie Thorne's snooker career.
According to the BBC after quitting snooker as a professional, Thorne suffered from depression.
Thorne, like Steve Davis and John Parrott, went on to provide TV analysis at snooker tournaments.
Willie Thorne has written an autobiography entitled Double or Quits: The Willie Thorne Story.
More curiously, Willie Thorne also brought out a range of underpants.
Total gambler points out that Willie Thorne has lost an estimated £3.5m at the bookies. Thorne told them:
"Gambling cost me the World Championship – my life's ambition – without a doubt. A couple of years I went to Sheffield so far in trouble that mentally I was a wreck. I never gave myself the chance I should have done. Gambling cost me my first marriage, with three children."
Willie Thorne's second wife Jill is a former Miss Great Britain.