Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals he started snooker world championships ‘on phone to Samaritans’

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Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed he started a world championship tournament “on the phone to the Samaritans” as he opened up on his mental health struggles.

In an interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, which aired on Wednesday (22 November), O’Sullivan said he was “really struggling” at the start of the 2022 World Championships.

The 47-year-old said: “At the start of the championships I was on the phone to Samaritans.”

He added: “I said to them ‘I’m really struggling’, I was having anxiety and panic attacks. They told me to call the doctor and that’s when I was put on antidepressants.”

O’Sullivan went on to win the World Championship that year.