Ronnie's demons

Snooker superstar's mental health struggles laid bare in raw new TV documentary

-  MARK JEFFERIES

RONNIE O'Sullivan has opened up about how large parts of his "dream" snooker career have in fact been an anxiety-riddled "nightmare".

The star allowed TV cameras to follow him for a year to make documentary Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything, which ends with his record-equalling seventh world title win in 2022.

But he fails to fully enjoy even that historic moment and is heard seconds after victory telling his two kids: "I can't do this anymore. It kills me."

Earlier, in his dressing room, while just a few frames from glory, he looks close to breaking down and tells his friend and psychiatrist Steve Peters: "I feel like I've got stage fright. It's horrible. I f****ing hate it. I feel like I want to cry. I feel I don't want to face it. I am f****ing gone. I am scared." 

Many of Ronnie's issues stem from his dad, who guided his early career, being jailed for murder in 1992. As he was taken down after sentencing, Ronnie Snr had a message sent to his son: "Just tell my boy to win.