My life was chaos when I walked out on Stephen Hendry in middle of match – I couldn’t take it, reveals Ronnie O’Sullivan
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has opened up about his infamous walkout against Stephen Hendry – saying his “head was gone” during the incident.
The snooker legend walked out during a 2006 UK Championship quarter-final against Hendry, leaving the crowd and his opponent stunned.
O’Sullivan revealed during a YouTube interview with Hendry that his life was “in chaos” at the time.
The two were talking about some of the problems O’Sullivan had experienced throughout his career, including needing a stint in rehab in 2000, to which Hendry said: “I hate to bring it up but was that around the time that you walked out on me?”
O’Sullivan responded: “No that was other problems, I can’t blame that on that, I was struggling with stuff at home.
“I had a lot going on away from the table at home and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play.
“I’d nearly done it in a few matches before but you were 4-1 up, playing well and I thought I can’t take this all day I need to get out of here.
“My life was a bit in chaos but my life has always been a bit like that I suppose”
Hendry recalled the event saying: “That was the most random thing to happen in my career as well.”
O’Sullivan has been open about his struggles mentally away from the game.
He admitted in his autobiography that he “lost seven years of his life” to drinking and smoking cannabis while also taking drugs as an escapism during his younger life.
He said he entered rehab in 2000 after becoming a self-described “unpleasant person”.
O’Sullivan began working with psychologist Dr Steve Peters in 2011.
In a previous interview with Eurosport he said that Peters helped quieten “The devil inside” him by making him less impulsive.
Reflecting on walking out on the game against Hendry he said: “Pre-Steve Peters, I think I walked out in a match against Stephen Hendry,
“My head was gone. I wasn’t playing well and I didn’t want to be there. I shook hands and walked out.
“A lot of it was in-the-moment stuff. It was just reacting, ‘I’m playing rubbish, don’t want to be here, can’t win this match’. So it was just kind of trying to ignore that voice, even though it is still there.
“Even though I still thought I wanted to act on impulse, I kind of stopped becoming impulsive. I realised that is the devil inside me.”
In his YouTube interview with Hendry, O’Sullivan said: “Steve’s taught me to be a bit more robotic, just to play the ball, each ball and try not to worry.”
The current world number one has said he would love to run the London Marathon and coach athletics when he retires.
He said his life was “saved by rehab and running” before adding: “I’ve thought about taking my athletics coaching badges. The best nights of my life were down at the track in Woodford Green.
“I would love to run the London Marathon one day.
“For now, I need to keep the injuries at bay.”