Ronnie O'Sullivan: My life could have gone badly wrong but I had to step up and do my family proud
Published 18/04/2025 at 12:04 GMT+1
In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Ronnie O’Sullivan has opened up on how his life could have taken a very different path. The Rocket is snooker’s biggest star, but he has not had things easy. From a young age, he had to cope with his father going to prison and has experienced extreme highs and lows throughout his career. However, one thing has always motivated him to keep going.
‘I was trying to make my family proud’ - O’Sullivan on what drove his career success
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted his life could have turned out very differently had he not been driven by a desire to "do my family proud" in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports’ Ally McCoist.
The 49-year-old has achieved everything there is to achieve in the game and is considered the greatest snooker player of all time.
He holds countless records, far too many to list, and should he feature at the Crucible this year, he can break his tie with Stephen Hendry for the most victories at the World Championship, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from April 19 to May 5.
However, O’Sullivan endured a difficult start to his life as a professional. A member of the ‘Class of 92’ with Mark Williams and John Higgins, it was in that same year, when O’Sullivan was just 17, that his father was sent to prison.
But while there have been various struggles and controversial moments along the way, O’Sullivan, undoubtedly the sport’s biggest star, has always found a way to overcome them and return to snooker.
"I think I’ve done alright," he told McCoist, when asked about his life so far. "I think it could have gone wrong, badly. I could have ended up really [not in a good place].
"I think what carried me through was just to try and do my family proud. Obviously, my dad was away, my mum went away for a thing and I just felt like she was on her own and I had to step up.
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‘I don’t have any expectations’ – O’Sullivan discusses return as World Championship looms
Video credit: TNT Sports
"So even though, from the age of 19 to 25, I went on a bit of a mission, I realised I got into a bad place and couldn’t let the family down.
"I had to come good at some point, so I got myself on the straight and narrow and just started to focus on snooker. I stayed away from the drink and the pubs and stuff like that.
"If I hadn’t had that in my mind, I probably would have carried on and just ended up like a sorry state, maybe."
O’Sullivan is yet to win a title this season and has not played competitively since the start of January when he snapped his cue at the Championship League.
That sparked a run of withdrawals from some of the biggest events of the season as he struggled with "exhaustion" and a build-up of pressure.
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O'Sullivan was due to face Higgins in the first round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace but pulled out on "medical grounds" two days before the tournament began, later admitting that was a "nightmare decision" to make.
He then withdrew from the German Masters, Welsh Open, World Open and World Grand Prix.
It remains to be seen whether he will continue his run of appearances at the Crucible, which extends all the way back to 1993.
His presence adds star flavour to any event, and he will likely be among the favourites to lift an eighth world crown should he decide to play, although he has previously told TNT Sports he will leave it until the last moment to make his decision.
Whatever happens, though, sitting down with McCoist, he insists he is "happy to be where I am."
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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