Ron: I’ll give vulnerable a lucky break
ACE TO OPEN CARE HOME
SNOOKER legend Ronnie O’Sullivan wants to open a care home.
“The Rocket” also hopes to train as a counsellor to help others.
Ronnie, 44, revealed this week he is searching for a suitable location for the venture.
The current world champ went to The Priory in 2000 for drug and alcohol treatment, and he wants to help others who are facing similar battles.
The £12million star said: “I can empathise with people in addiction. It could be addiction, mental health, autism.
“It’s about providing a safe environment and getting people on their feet.”
Ronnie said he wanted to “start off small” with a six or seven-bed care home.
He hopes to find a suitable location within “the next few months”, and added: “I’m not saying I’m going to change people’s nappies, but I want to provide a safe environment for them and make their life as happy as you can.
“We’re starting off small. One place, six or seven beds. It will probably be a place for people with mild disabilities who don’t need 24-hour care.”
Asked why he wanted to be a counsellor and run a care home, the big-hearted star said: “I’ve had enough of a**eholes.
“When I look at these people who need a care home, they just want a roof over their head, three meals a day, you give them a job to do, you take care of them.
“I’ve had enough of the dog-eatdog thing. I just want to be in a business where you’re taking care of people.”
He added: “I was in rehab in 2000 and it was the biggest lifechanger for me.
“It was tough, but what I needed. Without the 12 steps, without taking myself out of society, without going to a treatment centre, maybe I wouldn’t have got to where I am today.”
Last year Ronnie said he was considering quitting snooker to train as a chef, adding that he was “fascinated” by the idea.
He is not the only sporting hero who is hoping to carve out a new career looking after others.
Tour de France star Bradley Wiggins told last year how he was studying to become a social worker.