In a candid interview, snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan expressed a desire to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter.
At 49, O’Sullivan has been distant from his eldest daughter, Taylor Ann-Magnus, for nearly ten years. His relationship with Taylor Ann, whom he shares with former partner Sally Magnus, was notably strained by 2022, with clear indications he would not be involved in her life.
After O’Sullivan matched Stephen Hendry’s record of seven Crucible titles, Taylor-Ann, now 27, told The Mirror, “He’s not part of my life. I wouldn’t want someone like that around me and my child. The last time I saw him, I was 17 or 18.”
While the reasons for their fallout remain unclear, O’Sullivan recently acknowledged in an interview with The Times that he feels the need to make amends.
When asked if the estrangement is permanent, O’Sullivan responded, “I hope not. I think I’ve got to make some sort of amends.”
He added, “I don’t know how it’s going to work out. Hopefully, at some point, it might sort itself out. Who knows? I don’t know.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he hopes to rekindle his relationship with his eldest daughter
The Rocket has a strong bond with his two youngest children, Ronnie Jr and Lily (pictured)
Taylor-Ann revealed in an interview with The Sun back in 2020 that the London-born sports sensation has never even met her daughter, his granddaughter, Zarah-Ann.
‘He might be world champion to some, but he’s not fit to be called “Dad” let alone “Grandad” as far as I’m concerned.
‘Zarah-Ann will grow up never knowing who he is. He’s made so many promises but what he says and does is so different.
‘Having a really s*** parent like you has shown me what is important in life.’
Taylor-Ann is the oldest of O’Sullivan’s three children. He had his other two, 19-year-old Lily and 18-year-old Ronnie Jr, with another ex-partner Jo Langley in the mid-2000s.
O’Sullivan maintains a good relationship with his two youngest children, who were pictured smiling by his side as he lifted the World Championship trophy in 2022.
It was feared that the Rocket’s recent move to Dubai could have put a strain on their bond, but he affirmed this week that’s not been the case.
‘They just want me to be happy,’ he said of their thoughts on his relocation to the Middle East. ‘I see more of my daughter than I ever used to. She’s quite laid-back, very chilled.’
The London-born star relocated to Dubai earlier this year with his wife Laila Rouass after finding the English capital ‘too hectic’
10 months after reports of a split surfaced, Rouass and O’Sullivan tied the knot this summer
O’Sullivan chose to up sticks to the United Arab Emirates’ tax-free haven along with his wife Laila Rouass, who he married in June just months after a reported split.
Rouass refused to live in Yorkshire, and O’Sullivan felt he had nowhere else to practice in the UK, so it was either Spain or Dubai – with the couple eventually chosing the latter.
Opening up about the move this week, the Englishman admitted he found London life ‘all a bit hectic’.
‘I couldn’t get anything done there,’ he said. ‘The highlight of my day was going out to Stratford Westfield and having a cup of tea in the Carluccio’s.
‘I work a lot in the Middle East and China, and the jet lag, I could never get on top of it. That was a struggle.
‘There’s not really a lot to do there, is there? And there’s not a lot of tables. We’re not there for a bougie sort of lifestyle. I just like the simplicity of it then, the weather’s great.’
O’Sullivan will be targeting a record eighth World Championship title when snooker’s most prestigious tournament rolls around again in late May.
