Ronnie O'Sullivan has spoken about his relationship with his eldest daughter after she claimed he was 'not fit to be a dad'.
O'Sullivan has three children - daughters Taylor-Ann Magnus (born 1996) and Lily (born 2006) and son Ronnie Jr (born 2007).
Lily and Ronnie Jr were born during the seven-time world snooker champion's relationship with Jo Langley, while he was in a relationship with Sally-Ann Magnus when Taylor-Ann was born.
In a 2020 interview with The Sun, Taylor-Ann claimed that she had no relationship with her father, and that O'Sullivan was 'not fit to be called 'Dad' let alone Grandad' after giving birth to her first daughter, Zarah-Ann.
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She said she had deleted his number from her phone and that O'Sullivan hadn't contacted her since the birth of her daughter.
In a separate interview, this time with the Daily Mirror in 2022, Taylor-Ann said that she hadn't seen 'The Rocket' since she was '17 or 18', adding: "Since I had my daughter, I've thought, 'I really don't want that person in my life'.
O'Sullivan, whose other children Lily and Ronnie Jr are often seen at major snooker events, gave his side of the story in an interview with The Times last week.
When asked if his estrangement from his eldest daughter could be permanent, he replied: "I hope not. I think I've got to make some sort of amends. I don't know how it's going to work out.
"Hopefully, at some point, it might sort itself out. Who knows? I don't know."
O'Sullivan has now moved to Dubai with his wife, British actress Laila Rouass.
On Lily and Ronnie Jr's reaction to hearing the news that he would be relocating, the 49-year-old said: "They just want me to happy."
On the snooker table, O'Sullivan is set to pursue his record-setting eighth World Snooker Championship at the Crucible next April.
He has opted for a limited schedule this season but has found some encouraging form when he has played, including hitting two 147 breaks in the same match against Chris Wakelin at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
And after speaking out about his regular struggles with his cue action and ball-striking over the past two seasons, O'Sullivan is feeling positive again.
"Now, I'm hitting the ball so well," he said. "It feels so good. I feel like it's a wand in my hand and I can just do what I like. I'm like, 'F**k, this is great'."
Topics: Ronnie OSullivan, Snooker, World Snooker Championship
Ryan Smart