KATIE SHANAHAN is the new face of snooker on Channel 5 – after undergoing facial surgery and spinal reconstruction when she cheated death.
The presenter will front coverage of the Players Championship on terrestrial TV from Tuesday.
Katie Shanahan will present Channel 5’s snooker coverageCredit: Alamy
Katie is married to hubby TommyCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
The Tour Championship and the British Open are also moving to the channel, with Stephen Hendry and Alan McManus among the familiar names on punditry duties.
and the commentary booth, too.
But fans might not know host Shanahan as well.
She will be anchoring the programming, which is set to start 30 minutes before the first break of each session – giving plenty of time for build-up and discussion.
Shanahan may be new to snooker but is an experienced broadcaster in football.
She has worked for the likes of ITV covering the Lionesses, talkSPORT’s Early Sports Breakfast and is a regular on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday as a reporter at the grounds.
Shanahan also has Champions League action, Olympics, cricket and rugby on her CV.
She told the Metro : “I’m here, there and everywhere.
“I’m mainly with ITV, Sky Sports and talkSPORT now and I’ve spent seven years at the BBC.
“I would probably say I’m a multi-sport presenter. It’s been heavily football, but I love all sport.
“I’ve covered five major football tournaments, two Olympic Games, one Winter Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
“I’ve covered rugby, NFL, a Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Lords. I can’t wait to get stuck into the snooker next.”
Despite dabbling in journalism at university, Shanahan stepped full-time into broadcasting earlier than she expected – following her horror injury in her early 20s.
An accomplished hockey player, she represented England at international level, until disaster struck.
Shanahan explained: “I was scouted over here while I was playing for England.
“And was asked if I would you like a hockey scholarship to go out to the States and play for University of North Carolina? That was a big fat yes.
“I was there for a bit, having the college lifestyle, which was amazing.
Shanahan is a regular on Soccer Saturday for Sky SportsCredit: Shutterstock
She posts plenty of snaps on InstagramCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
She ran the London Marathon last year and is training for an IronmanCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
Shanahan’s hockey career was cut short in scary fashionCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
“It is literally like the movies. Red cups, sororities, frat parties, Halloween, all of that.
“Then I went out and played hockey in Perth, Australia because they needed some hockey stars to help their league.
“I basically got a , it split my head open and I had to have plastic surgery on my face because basically my facial bones moved out of place.
“Then I had to have spinal reconstruction for six months and I’ve never picked up a hockey stick ever again.
“The ball hit me in between my eyebrows and fractured my skull.
“But if it had hit my temple, I would have died on the spot. So I was very fortunate that it just so happened to hit me where it’s pretty solid.”
Shanahan may not be playing hockey anymore but ran the 2025 London Marathon and is training to complete an Ironman – prompting plenty of witty posts from her husband Tommy, who provides brilliant voiceovers.
And she is continuing to thrive in front of the cameras with her live TV commitments.
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The popular presenter added: “Being an athlete and being a broadcaster, it’s still high pressure.
“I used to be a striker for England and was someone that used to put their hand up to take penalties and be willing to do that for the team.
“I get the same rush when the red light goes on.
“So on Tuesday when the red light goes on and we’re live, that is what I thrive off. That kind of fills the hole that England hockey left behind.
“So I really relish those moments because I miss the adrenaline that I used to get from international sport.”
Shanahan is certainly starting in style with the Players Championship, which only features the world’s top 16 stars.
However, while .
But fans can still enjoy the rest of the sport’s top stars in action on the baize in Telford.
And they will get a never-seen-before angle to watch – thanks to the new referee cam feature.
Katie starting getting into media at uniCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
Shanahan covers all kinds of different sports in her various rolesCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
Shanahan has been reading up on her snookerCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official
She has got to know Jill Scott through her Lionesses coverageCredit: Instagram @katieshanahan_official 
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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