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BBC presenter Abigail Davies has come full circle, but she very nearly walked away from her career in sport before landing her big break. That might be difficult to fathom for those acquainted with the 34-year-old's impressive body of work. Davies is now a familiar face across football, snooker and darts; the three sports closest to her heart.

She has been a consistent presence on our screens throughout the World Snooker Championship, which draws to a close on the BBC this weekend. Yet the struggle to make ends meet while attempting to carve out a career in the fiercely competitive world of sports broadcasting is an unforgiving reality. Fortunately for Davies, everything fell into place eventually, and it even included a memorable moment with snooker legend Terry Griffiths along the way.

"I was studying for my masters in sports broadcasting at Cardiff Met University when a job advert came up for a runner at the Welsh Open," she recalls.

"That was one of my first jobs in the industry and I jumped at the chance, spending the week making teas and coffees and learning the ropes.

"I was fortunate but it gave me the opportunity to do a couple of interviews here and there, the sort where the answers aren't really used!

"I did that and came back the following year as an assistant producer, then I was a reporter and in the February just gone I had the privilege of presenting and MCing the tournament."

Davies stuck with it and she hasn't looked back since, with her love of the game always with her when it comes to snooker.

"It was nice to go full circle with the competition that gave me a bit of a break, not just in snooker but the industry itself," she added.

"That came before my work with Soccer Saturday and on the darts, so it shows it's not just a linear process."

"But there were times after I'd gotten into snooker where I almost walked away from the industry because I wasn't earning enough money. I didn't have enough money to cover my trips from Swansea to London, or wherever I needed to work."

"It was just so difficult to make ends meet while also studying for a degree, and trying to maintain my season ticket at Swansea City!"

Davies persevered and she hasn't looked back since, with her passion for the game ever-present when it comes to snooker.

"I pinch myself every single day I get to work on snooker," she beams. "I grew up watching the likes of Paul Hunter and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Mark Williams was also a huge figure in my life, being Welsh and adoring Welsh sports stars.

"I actually remember one of the first interactions I had was with Terry Griffiths. I think Terry was working with Mark Allen at the time, or he might have been on commentary duty.

"I don't get starstruck often but I couldn't remember my name when I was about to talk to him! In my head I was going to go and say 'Hi, I'm Terry,' and then I was like 'No, that's his name! What's your name?'

"I was so starstruck and overawed and I still feel that now. I never want to lose sight of that.

"When I'm not working on tournaments I still go to them as a fan and I think that is so important in things like snooker and darts."

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