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Ronnie O’Sullivan’s childhood – from parents' sex shop to father being jailed for murder
Ronnie O’Sullivan is one of the UK’s most enduring and successful sportspeople to ever fly the flag.The 46-year-old has done it all in the world of snooker, a modern star of the game The Rocket has reached each and every one of the sport’s heights.The current world number one has 39 ranking tournament wins and holds three records as the youngest player to ever win the masters at 19, the fastest ever to 147 and the most maximum breaks.He went pro in 1992, and has periodically graced the top spot on the global leaderboard - he did it the first time in 2002. Now he’s back there again.Awarded an OBE in 2016 Ronnie is a force of nature within the game, despite his multiple disciplinaries from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.But the Ronnie we see today has come up a long road, and a childhood outside of the norm played no small part in that.Ronnie O’Sullivan was born in Wordsley in the West Midlands to Ronald John and Maria O’Sullivan, who ran sex shops in Soho, London.The Financial Times reported that when he was younger he could hear envelopes stuffed with cash thud as they fell through the letterbox of his home.He grew up in Essex, where his dad kitted out their home with a snooker table.Young Ronnie made his first century break aged 10, honing his skills in a shed based pool room his father paid for out of the proceeds of the sex shop, according to the Sun.
