Local man claims to be secret son of Alex Higgins

Martin Donnelly, 40, Ballymena made the claims in Friday’s Sun Newspaper alleging Higgins fathered himself and his sister before the career took off.

Higgins, 61, died at the weekend in Belfast after a long battle with throat cancer.

Speaking to the Sun newspaper, Donnelly claimed that he found out that the Hurricane was his father 30 years ago and he vowed to take a DNA test to prove his claim. He said: "It’s time all this came out, I’ve nothing to hide any more.

“Alex Higgins had two children with my mother and never did anything for them.

"All my family know this and the Higgins family know it too.

"I've lived with this dirty secret all my life. It would be best if we got this all out on the table.

"I'll take a DNA test and have it compared with any relatives."

He claims that his mother had a brief relationship with the snooker ace in the late 1960s, he went on to claim that his Higgins was also the father of his sister who was given up for adoption and only found out about having the same father as donnelly three years ago.

He said his mother Winnie put his sister up for adoption and left him to be raised by his uncle but visited Martin as he grew.

He claimed that the learnt Higgins was his dad when he was watching the snooker ace on the tv with his grandmother, speaking in the Sun, he said: "My granny Hilda just said, 'Martin, I have to tell you, that's your father.'

"I just thought she was being a silly old doll. I went to my mother and she substantiated it. I'd thought my dad was a man in Plymouth so it came as a shock.

"She said that's where my middle name, Alexander, came from. She thought a lot of him but said they went their separate ways."

A Higgins family spokesman said: "There is no substance to this claim."