Film lays bare O’sullivan anguish
RONNIE O’sullivan has told how seeing himself in his latest documentary made him consider quitting snooker for good.
The seven-time world champion, 47, told how he wanted the Prime Video special to show his vulnerability.
But he admitted that seeing himself so low made him question why he had continued with the sport for so long.
He said: “It affected me. I watched it and I look back at it and I thought, ‘Why am I putting myself through it?’”
The film Ronnie O’sullivan: The Edge of Everything, shows him during the 2022 World Snooker Championship, where he became the oldest ever winner.
Cameras follow him on and off the table, including during fraught conversations with his psychologist Steve Peters.
O’sullivan, regarded by many as the sport’s best-ever player, revealed it was seeing his facial expressions on film that made him realise how troubled he was.
He said: “I didn’t realise I fell apart that much, and then I phoned up Sam [Blair, the director] and said, ‘I don’t even think I’m going to play snooker any more, mate’. I said, ‘I’m not sure I like what I see, mate. Why am I doing it? I could have a much nicer life’.
“But what did help was I watched this documentary about people who have done documentaries, and how it doesn’t always have the impact they think it’s going to have. Some people obviously have a good experience. But for some, it ruins their life. They get traumatised.
“This documentary is great because it made me feel like I wasn’t going crazy.”
The film premieres in cinemas on Tuesday with a live Q&A with O’sullivan and producer David Beckham. It will be released on Prime Video on Thursday.