Running: The Autobiography (24 page)
Read Running: The Autobiography Online
Authors: Ronnie O'Sullivan
‘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.
Adamson, Frank
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Alan (running friend)
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Alcoholics Anonymous
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Alexandrouha, Tracey
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Ali, Muhammad
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Allen, Mark
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Athletics Weekly
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Baldry, Gary
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Barcelona football club
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Bekele, Kennenisa
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Bekele, Tariku
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Bellamy, Craig
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Bingham, Stuart
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Bounce
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Breaking Bad
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Brentwood Gazette
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Bronson, Charles
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Bryan, Bruce
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Carter, Ali
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see also
World Championship: 2012
Challon, Mr (headmaster)
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Charlie (Scottish friend)
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Chigwell
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Charlie Chans
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health food shop
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Lawlors estate agents
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Macey’s convenience store
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Manor Road
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children
Lily (daughter)
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‘Little’ Ronnie (son)
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Taylor (daughter)
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Chimp Paradox, The
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China, the ‘famous nosh’ in
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China, tournaments in
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Chinese Snooker Association
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Chip (Scottish friend) and son
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Chris, Irish (friend)
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Cook, Peter
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cross-country races
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Cube, The
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Daily Mail
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Daniels, Rhys
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Davies, Chris
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brother-in-law Mark and his sister Amanda
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Davies, Terry
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Davis, Steve
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as Ronnie’s hero
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Deacon Blue
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Ding Junhui
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Dino (jockey mate)
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Django (manager)
see
Fung, Django
Doherty, Ken
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Doncaster young offenders’ prison
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Dott, Graham
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Doyle, Ian
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Ebdon, Peter
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Ecclestone, Bernie
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Eightlane website
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Embassy
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see also
World Championship: 2004
Epping 5k race
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Epping Forest
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10k race
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Epping Forest Country Club
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Epping Forest farm
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woman worker at
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Epping fun run
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Eshatu, Sentayehu
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Essex, reputation of
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Essex cross-country race
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European Open
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Fagin, Patsy
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Families Need Fathers
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Federer, Roger
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Ferrari car
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Flight, Chrisy
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Food Anonymous
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France, running holiday in
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Francis, Jason
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Francisco, Silvino
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Fu, Marco
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Fung, Django
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Gauvreau, Marcel
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‘Gay Robbie’ (Scottish friend)
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Gebrselassie, Haile
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Genn, Antony
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George (best mate)
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German Masters
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Glenn (cousin)
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Grey, David
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Griffiths, Terry
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Gunnell, Sally
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Hainault farm
see
Epping Forest farm
Hainault Forest
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Hamed, ‘Prince’ Naseem
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brother Murad
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Harlow hospital
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Hawkins, Barry
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Hearn, Barry
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Hendry, Stephen
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Ronnie walks out on
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Hertfordshire canal
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Higgins, Alex ‘Hurricane’
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Higgins, John
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Higginson, Andrew
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Hirst, Damien
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‘Beautiful Inside My Head’ show
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Hudson, Paul
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Hurley, Liz
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Irish Chris (friend)
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James, Steve
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Jerry (marriage guidance counsellor)
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Jo (ex-partner)
see
Langley, Jo
John, Scouse (friend)
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Junhui, Ding
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Kiev
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King, Bill
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King, Mark
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Lactic Rush race
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Langdon Hills
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Langley, Jo
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relationship with Ronnie
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Ronnie splits up with
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Lazarus, Mark and Nicky
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Lee (running friend)
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Lee, Stephen
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Leyton Wingate FC
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Little Mickey (canal friend)
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London
Belmarsh prison
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Brixton prison
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Chelsea nightclub
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Groucho Club
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Harmony sex shops
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Ivy restaurant
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Regent’s Park mosque
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Sotheby’s
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Wormwood Scrubs prison
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Long Lartin prison
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Lord of the Rings, The
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Loughton
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Macey’s convenience store
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Maguire, Stephen
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Malta
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Manchester United FC
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Manning, Eddie
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Masters tournament
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Matchroom
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Matt (Irish running friend)
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Maureen (aunt)
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Max (rehab fella)
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Meo, Tony
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Messi, Lionel
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Mickey, Little (canal friend)
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Mickey the Mullet (friend)
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Miles, Tony
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Mooney, Pat
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Morgan, Darren
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Muhammad Ali
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Murphy, Sean
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Murray, Andy
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