Ronnie O'Sullivan makes candid admission about life - 'Could've gone badly wrong'

Ronnie O'Sullivan has opened up about how his life could have taken a very different turn due to his challenging past.

Now 49, 'The Rocket' is celebrated as one of all-time greats, boasting an impressive 41 ranking titles and seven Yet, his path to success was fraught with personal challenges.

In 1992, his father, Ronnie O'Sullivan Snr, received a life sentence for murder and spent 18 years in prison before being released in 2010. His mother, Maria, faced her own legal troubles, serving a year in jail for tax evasion in 1996.

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then turned to alcohol and drugs to help cope. Speaking to The Times, O'Sullivan said: "I went wild for six years. Booze and spliffs, I loved a joint. The only problem with a joint is that one follows another, and another. I would have any old drink, it didn't matter.

"Then at 7am the sun would come up and I'd think, 'Oh Jesus, I've done it again'. I was smoking too much weed, I was bulk-buying too much Smirnoff. I'd always been capable of putting away a fair amount of food but now I found new gears."

Despite these hardships, O'Sullivan demonstrated remarkable resilience, redirecting his energy into mastering the game of snooker. Reflecting on his journey, the snooker legend feels he's fared "all right" given the circumstances. In a candid chat with for O'Sullivan said: "I think I've done alright, you know? I think it could have gone wrong. Badly.

"I could have ended up really..." he began, before McCoist asked: "Not in a good place?" to which O'Sullivan said: "Yeah, could have done, but I think what carried me through was just trying to do my family proud. Obviously, my dad was put away, my mum went away for a thing, and I just felt like she was on her own, and I had to step up.

"From the age of 19 to 25, I went on a bit of a mission. I realised I got into a bad place, but I couldn't let the family down. I had to come good at some point, so I got on the straight and narrow and just started to focus on snooker. Stay away from the drink and the pubs and stuff like that.

"If I wouldn't have had that in my mind, I probably would have carried on and ended up a sorry state maybe. But I think that was what pulled me through, so yeah, I think in some ways I've done alright. I'm happy to be where I am."

Since turning professional at the tender age of 16 in 1992, O'Sullivan swiftly left his mark on the snooker clinching his first ranking event at the the very next year. He secured his inaugural title in 1995, followed by his first World Championship triumph in 2001.

As it stands, O'Sullivan is neck and neck with in terms of World Championship wins, each with seven to their name. However, he's aiming to break the tie when the tournament returns to the Crucible Theatre later this month.

Despite stepping back from several recent events to focus on his mental health, O'Sullivan has for the year's biggest event. His first match of the tournament will see him face off against on Tuesday.

In a chat with TNT Sports ahead of the game, he said: "I'm proud to continue my record of having never missed a World Championship. I have many fond memories at The Crucible and look forward to making more in 2025. I've enjoyed some good prep with my (new!) cue over the last week so feel good ahead of Tuesday."

O'Sullivan reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Championships, where defeated him 13-10. His last victory at the tournament was in 2022, and he's hoping to end a three-year dry spell when the tournament wraps up on May 5.