The Essex Exocet

The greatest player to grace the game of snooker had a turbulent early life— at 16, his father was given life sentence for murder and at 17, his mother went to jail for tax evasion.

Blessed with the rare gift of being able to play ambidextrously, he made the fastest break on record at the 1997 World Championship, a blur of potting which lasted 5 minutes and 20 seconds. 

As charismatic as he is talented, the Rocket is second on snooker’s all-time prize-money list with career earnings of over £8 million.

Childhood

Ronald Antonio “Ronnie” O’Sullivan was born on December 5, 1975 in Wolverhampton and raised in Essex.  

He attended Wanstead High School. At a young age, he showed talent as a Snooker player and he used to beg his neighbor to come and play with him. Those sessions would last for around four hours, or when Ronnie’s Dad said it was time for his son to go to bed! 

His parents ran sex shops in Soho. His father was jailed in 1992 for murder and released 18 years later. His mother was also jailed, for tax evasion.

Career

Ronnie turned professional in 1992 began his first season with 74 victories in 76 matches, including a winning streak of 38 successive victories. The same year, he became the youngest player ever to qualify for the World Championship.

Ronnie claimed the first of his three world crowns in 2001, followed by wins in 2004 and 2008. His form dipped in 2003, but his hard work in 2004 and duly sauntered to his second world title.

In 2006, he caused a major stir when conceding a 17-frame game at the UK Championship in the sixth frame. He was fined and heavily sanctioned for his actions. His form was mixed through 2007, but he bounced back to claim a third world crown in 2008 – en-route he racked up a record ninth maximum 147 break.

While appearing fearless in front of a snooker table, away from it he was plagued with depression and self–doubt. After a period in the wilderness, where he came close to dropping out of the world’s top 16 and the automatic entry into tournaments that brings with it, O’Sullivan began working with a sports psychologist and it heralded a turnaround in his fortunes.

This was reinforced at the Crucible in 2012, as he claimed his fourth World Championship with an 18-11 win over Ali Carter in the final.

Ronnie is noted for repeatedly declaring his intention to leave the sport and he worked on a pig farm during the 2012/2013 season.

Ronnie won the world crown in 2013 despite taking virtually a whole year away from competitive snooker.

Personal Life

Ronnie met former girlfriend Jo Langley at Narcotics Anonymous, and he has two children with her. He has another daughter from a previous relationship. He was reported to have split with Langley in early June 2008. In February 2013, he became engaged to actress and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Laila Rouass, with whom he had been in a relationship since early 2012.

He suffered from clinical depression, and has had drug-related problems. He worked with the sports psychologist Steve Peters, who has helped him overcome his mood swings.

Ronnie is a keen football fan and is a supporter of Arsenal. Another of his hobbies is motor racing.

Ronnie is also a keen runner, and believes it has helped him enormously in his battle against depression.

Achievements

Ronnie’s record in Triple Crown events stands at five World Championship, five Masters, and five UK Championship titles.

He was ranked world number one for five seasons between 2002/2003 and 2009/2010.  His other achievements include ten Premier League titles and winning the Nations Cup with England in 2000.