Ronnie O'Sullivan's painful relationship with killer dad sparked '6-year bender'

23 November 2023 , 08:00

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Ronnie O'Sullivan nearly derailed his career when his dad was convicted of murder.

The world-renowned snooker legend was just 16 when his dad was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Bruce Bryan, the driver of gangster Charlie Kray, in 1992. Ronnie O'Sullivan Snr was found guilty of stabbing the dad-of-two to death in a Chelsea nightclub, and spent the next 18 years in prison before his release in 2010.

Following his dad's incarceration, youngster Ronnie suffered greatly and turned to drink and drugs to cope. In a new Amazon Prime documentary, titled Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything, the star candidly opens up about their father-son relationship and how his life drastically spiralled when his 'biggest driving force' was locked up.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's painful relationship with killer dad sparked '6-year bender' eiqtiddhittinv

Ronnie O'Sullivan was 16 years old when his dad was found guilty of murder

Growing up, Ronnie and his dad were close and he was the man that got him into snooker. "My dad was an East End guy. He knew he had the gift of the gab. He'd drop me off at a snooker hall and say: 'Okay, here's the money for him to play all day. Let him do what he wants. Make sure he behaves. Keep an eye on him'," Ronnie explained during a recent appearance on BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs.

The seven-time Masters champion, who's nicknamed The Rocket, added: "My dad used to call it a creche. He said: 'It's the best place for you to be. You weren't out on the streets, being naughty, getting up to no good'. He was the one telling people, 'My boy is 10 years of age, he'll be World Champion'. And he was right." But everything changed when his dad was imprisoned.

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

"I went on a wild bender for six years," Ronnie admitted in a 2022 interview, revealing that he almost derailed his whole career. As he battled alcohol and substance addictions, Ronnie went on to win the UK Championship in 1993 and became the youngest-ever player to win the Masters at 19. Then at the age of 20, his mum Maria was sent to jail too for tax fraud.

Ronnie didn't want to use his parents' convictions as an excuse, but found it hard to stay on track and partly blamed his dad for his struggles. "I didn't want to blame everything on that situation with my dad, but I was thinking, 'l'd rather not have the snooker', just a normal family, forget the snooker, whatever normal life is," the icon says in his documentary.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's painful relationship with killer dad sparked '6-year bender'

Ronnie almost derailed his career after his dad's conviction (pictured with his mum and sister in 2004) (Getty Images)

"It was a dream, but looking back, it was a nightmare. I wasn't good at having all this stuff locked inside me. People could see that I was imploding. If I had really let it all out they'd have locked me up. They'd have said he's a danger to himself. Just self-doubt and self-sabotage and hatred towards myself."

Ronnie would turn to his dad in prison for pep talks. "I knew what he was going through. I've shared all his snooker tournaments, in his bad times and good times, I've been on the phone to him, in prison. And I've heard the anxiety in him, just totally collapsing on the phone," Ronnie Snr says in the doc. "I used to put the phone down, totally in bits. A lot of that was my fault. I blame myself for that, going to prison, it wasn't good for him. And he'd say he'd had enough, he wanted to put his cue down, done."

When Ronnie was at his lowest and just wanted to give up, his dad would encourage him to keep going. "I'm jack him up. I'd go, 'Come on, what's up with ya? Stick around for a little while longer mate. Because it's like a visit for me. I can watch you on the telly and it's nice to see ya'. I said 'Win or lose, I watch you and it's fantastic. And if you win it's even better'," his father explained.

Ronnie and his dad now have a good relationship and celebrate his wins together (Facebook)

Ronnie Sr lives with his girlfriend Tiffany, who is half his age, in a campervan (Facebook)

After almost two decades in prison, Ronnie Snr was released in 2010 and the father-and-son duo forged a new relationship on the outside. Over the last 23 years, his dad has watched him play tournaments, though avoided going on camera for decades. Then in 2022, when Ronnie won at The Crucible once again, he finally experienced the moment with him. "My dad would never come onto the stage," Ronnie said in his Eurosport documentary, Seventh Heaven.

"I think it was only because Barry Hearn said to him, 'Look you better get out there'. He said 'No, I ain't getting out there'. [Barry] said 'You're getting out there!’ and pushed him out there. He went 'Go and enjoy your moment with your son'. My dad said to me afterwards, 'You know what, I'm really glad we've done that because that was the best moment of my life'."

Ronnie added: "I just wanted him to have a good time because he wasn't here for a lot of years to share some of these moments. For me, I just wanted him here to experience it and just get a feel for it because if it wasn't for him, in my early days, I probably wouldn't have been a professional sportsman or anything really because he instilled that discipline in me." Now, the pair have a good relationship and Ronnie Sr, 68, lives in a campervan with his girlfriend, entrepreneur Tiffany Kushner, 34.