Snooker the cause of and the balm for almost all of Ronnie's pain

Feature-length Ronnie O'Sullivan film delves into family archives and captures a complex character at his most vulnerable moments

TOP OF THE WORLD: Ronnie O’Sullivan with the Betfred World Snooker Championship trophy after victory over Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield in 2022. Snooker has been a longtime source of tranquillity and torment for O’Sullivan. Picture: Lewis Storey

One of the more telling moments during Ronnie O’Sullivan: Edge of Everything is a snippet of conversation heard in the family kitchen. Chatting with his partner, Laila Rouass, the subject of this intimate documentary is mulling over his mental health concerns and future in snooker. At the ripe old age of 46, Ronnie has decided he has finally conquered the psychological demons that have plagued him for almost 30 years and will continue to play for the foreseeable future despite his monotonously regular public promises to pack it in.

It is a talk the couple evidently have had before and Rouass explains patiently to O’Sullivan that she thinks “that’s your mood today”. The actor’s tacit implication is that she will be unsurprised if the following day Ronnie is seated in the same room, having the kind of emotional meltdown that will come perilously close to derailing his tilt for a record‑equalling seventh world title some weeks later.