Running: The Autobiography (24 page)

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Authors: Ronnie O'Sullivan

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‘It’s a bit late, it’s live, Hazel!’ I said.

I thought it was funny because I knew Hazel would be thinking ahead to the next question and I thought I’d just throw it in there to see how she reacted. She came up to me the other day and said: ‘It did take me by shock because I was thinking of the next question and all of a sudden I heard the crowd and I thought, what’s he just said? And I had to deal with it.’

I also said I was planning to play in more of the little PTC events, and again there were lots of sceptics saying why would I want to do that when the prize money isn’t that great for winning them. But I love the small-time atmosphere of them, and also that they don’t last long, which is perfect for me. Whereas lots of the tournaments are 10 days to two weeks, and the World Championship is 17 gruelling days, these events start on Friday and you’re back home on Monday. So you keep your eye in, there’s not loads of pressure on, and you’re not away from home for ages. And if you love the game you love the game. It doesn’t have to be a World Championship for it to matter to you. You get around 20 grand for winning most of the events, so it’s decent money, but not like winning the World Championship, where you get 250 big ones. I can understand why people think I’m mad to want to play in these events, but my situation means I can’t be on the road 12 months a year. I want to see little Ronnie and Lily and still play regularly so I thought the best way to manage that balancing act was to play in a few of the smaller events and have a bit of fun. If you play just for the money you’re going to be screwed anyway. Sometimes, all money brings is misery.

A month on from winning the World Championship and I’m feeling good. I know I’m not the most positive fella in the
world, and I’ll probably always struggle one way or another, but I also know I’m blessed. Blessed with great family and friends, beautiful children, good health, a strange gift for snooker, and blessed with a fan base that sometimes I’ve probably not deserved. I’ve also got a great girlfriend who’s brought stability to my life. Laila is an actress, probably best known for playing Amber Gates in
Footballers’ Wives
and Sahira Shah in
Holby City
. She also got to the semi-final of
Strictly Come Dancing
in 2009. She’s been a fantastic addition to my life. She’s been a good support, a calming influence on me. And I think we make for a good team. Her heart’s in the right place, she’s a good girl. She has enhanced my life. She’s got some great friends and she takes me out to places that I’ve never been before. She comes from a Moroccan Muslim background, and a lot of her friends are Moroccan. Most are not drinkers. They just talk rather than drink, and there’s a lovely openness to them – that’s the Moroccan mentality. Most of my friends are: ‘Yeah, go here, go there, do this, do that’, and that’s not for me. Laila’s brought a new world to my life. Like me, she doesn’t like the celebrity world. That’s one of the things we’ve got in common. She’s a clever, shrewd girl, but she’s not into all the celebrity rubbish.

I’m also beginning to get into some media work; preparing for the end of my career whenever that comes, and I might even have a go at writing a novel. As I reach the end of this book, I’m planning my next year, have paid the school fees, have won the World Championship, got a bit of money in the bank, and have got my self-esteem back. And as for the running, I’m getting fit and beginning to look nicely gaunt again. In just over two years’ time, when I’m 40, I’ll be able to enter Masters races as a veteran, and then I can really make my mark. So, all in all, the whore’s drawers are back up, and with any luck they’ll stay that way.

INDEX

Adamson, Frank
ref1

Alan (running friend)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

Alcoholics Anonymous
ref1

Alexandrouha, Tracey
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Ali, Muhammad
ref1

Allen, Mark
ref1

Athletics Weekly
ref1

Baldry, Gary
ref1

Barcelona football club
ref1

BBC
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Bekele, Kennenisa
ref1

Bekele, Tariku
ref1

Bellamy, Craig
ref1

Bingham, Stuart
ref1

Blackpool
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Bobby (Scouse mate)
ref1
,
ref2

Bounce
ref1

Breaking Bad
ref1

Brentwood Gazette
ref1

Bronson, Charles
ref1

Bryan, Bruce
ref1

Caen
ref1
,
ref2

Campbell, Marcus
ref1
,
ref2

Carter, Ali
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
see also
World Championship: 2012

Challon, Mr (headmaster)
ref1

Champions Cup
ref1
,
ref2

Charlie (Scottish friend)
ref1

Chick (friend)
ref1
,
ref2

Chigwell
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6

Charlie Chans
ref1

health food shop
ref1

Lawlors estate agents
ref1

Macey’s convenience store
ref1

Manor Road
ref1

children

Lily (daughter)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14
,
ref15
,
ref16
,
ref17
,
ref18
,
ref19
,
ref20
,
ref21
,
ref22
,
ref23
,
ref24

‘Little’ Ronnie (son)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14
,
ref15
,
ref16
,
ref17
,
ref18
,
ref19
,
ref20
,
ref21

Taylor (daughter)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7

Chimp Paradox, The
ref1

China, the ‘famous nosh’ in
ref1
,
ref2

China, tournaments in
ref1

China Open
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Chinese Snooker Association
ref1

Chip (Scottish friend) and son
ref1

Chris, Irish (friend)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Cook, Peter
ref1

cross-country races
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

Cube, The
ref1

Daily Mail
ref1

Daniels, Rhys
ref1

Davies, Chris
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7

brother-in-law Mark and his sister Amanda
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

wife Claire
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Davies, Terry
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

Davis, Joe
ref1
,
ref2

Davis, Steve
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14
,
ref15

as Ronnie’s hero
ref1

Deacon Blue
ref1

Dibaba, Tirunesh
ref1
,
ref2

Ding Junhui
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6

Dino (jockey mate)
ref1

Django (manager)
see
Fung, Django

Djokovic, Novak
ref1
,
ref2

Doherty, Ken
ref1

Doncaster young offenders’ prison
ref1

Dott, Graham
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Doyle, Ian
ref1

Ebdon, Peter
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6

Ecclestone, Bernie
ref1

Eightlane website
ref1

Embassy
ref1
see also
World Championship: 2004

Epping 5k race
ref1

Epping Forest
ref1

10k race
ref1

Epping Forest Country Club
ref1

Epping Forest farm
ref1

teenage boys at
ref1
,
ref2

woman worker at
ref1

Epping fun run
ref1

Eshatu, Sentayehu
ref1

Essex, reputation of
ref1

Essex cross-country race
ref1
,
ref2

Ethiopia
ref1
,
ref2

European Open
ref1

Fagin, Patsy
ref1

Families Need Fathers
ref1

Farah, Mo
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Federer, Roger
ref1

Ferrari car
ref1

Flight, Chrisy
ref1

Food Anonymous
ref1

France, running holiday in
ref1

Francis, Jason
ref1

Francisco, Silvino
ref1

Fu, Marco
ref1

Fung, Django
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9

Gauvreau, Marcel
ref1

‘Gay Robbie’ (Scottish friend)
ref1
,
ref2

Gebrselassie, Haile
ref1

Genn, Antony
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

George (best mate)
ref1

German Masters
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7

Glenn (cousin)
ref1

Grey, David
ref1

Griffiths, Terry
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Guinness
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Gunnell, Sally
ref1

Hainault farm
see
Epping Forest farm

Hainault Forest
ref1

Hamed, ‘Prince’ Naseem
ref1
,
ref2

brother Murad
ref1

Harlow hospital
ref1

Hawkins, Barry
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6

Hearn, Barry
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14

and Ronnie
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Hendry, Stephen
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14
,
ref15
,
ref16
,
ref17
,
ref18

Ronnie walks out on
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

as Ronnie’s hero
ref1
,
ref2

Hertfordshire canal
ref1

Higgins, Alex ‘Hurricane’
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Higgins, John
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13

Higginson, Andrew
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Hill, Del
ref1
,
ref2

Hilton hotels
ref1
,
ref2

Hirschowitz, Ivan
ref1
,
ref2

Hirst, Damien
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14

‘Beautiful Inside My Head’ show
ref1

Hoy, Sir Chris
ref1
,
ref2

Hudson, Paul
ref1

110 Sport
ref1
,
ref2

Hurley, Liz
ref1

Irish Chris (friend)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Irvine, Hazel
ref1
,
ref2

Jagger, Mick
ref1
,
ref2

James, Steve
ref1

Jerry (marriage guidance counsellor)
ref1

Jo (ex-partner)
see
Langley, Jo

John, Scouse (friend)
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

Junhui, Ding
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6

Kiev
ref1

King, Bill
ref1

King, Mark
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5

Lactic Rush race
ref1

Langdon Hills
ref1

Langley, Jo
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10

relationship with Ronnie
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4
,
ref5
,
ref6
,
ref7
,
ref8
,
ref9
,
ref10
,
ref11
,
ref12
,
ref13
,
ref14

Ronnie splits up with
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Lazarus, Mark and Nicky
ref1

Lee (running friend)
ref1

Lee, Stephen
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Les (Scouse mate)
ref1
,
ref2

Leyton Wingate FC
ref1

Little Mickey (canal friend)
ref1

London

Belmarsh prison
ref1

Brixton prison
ref1

Chelsea nightclub
ref1

Groucho Club
ref1

Harmony sex shops
ref1

Ivy restaurant
ref1

Regent’s Park mosque
ref1

Sotheby’s
ref1

Wormwood Scrubs prison
ref1

London Marathon
ref1
,
ref2

London Olympics
ref1
,
ref2

Long Lartin prison
ref1

Lord of the Rings, The
ref1

Loughton
ref1

Macey’s convenience store
ref1

Maguire, Stephen
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Malta
ref1

Manchester United FC
ref1

Manning, Eddie
ref1

Martin, Eamonn
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Masters tournament
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3
,
ref4

Matchroom
ref1

Matt (Irish running friend)
ref1
,
ref2

Maureen (aunt)
ref1

Max (rehab fella)
ref1

McCarthy, Terry
ref1
,
ref2
,
ref3

Meo, Tony
ref1

Messi, Lionel
ref1

Mickey, Little (canal friend)
ref1

Mickey the Mullet (friend)
ref1

Miles, Tony
ref1

Mooney, Pat
ref1

Morgan, Darren
ref1

Muhammad Ali
ref1

Murphy, Sean
ref1

Murray, Andy
ref1

Nadal, Rafa
ref1
,
ref2

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