Ronnie O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass' tumultuous on-and-off again 14-year love story - as they finally tie the knot following major split ten months ago

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Snooker pro Ronnie O'Sullivan and soap opera star Laila Rouass have finally tied the knot after a 14-year-on-off romance - and just ten months after their latest split.
The couple made their long-awaited union official in a low-key London ceremony, with the Footballers' Wives actress, 54, announcing the news on Thursday in loved up Instagram post.
Beaming on the front steps of St George's Town Hall in Shadwell, the newlyweds posed for a sweet photo with a whirlwind of confetti around them.
Captioning the snap, Laila said the pair were pressing the 'refresh' button following their split in 2024 - when they claimed they were 'better as friends'.
She added that the day was made extra special by the location of their nuptials, as she was born in the East End neighbourhood, on Cable Street, and it's 'where her heart belongs'.
The couple's relationship has traversed many a rocky seas over the years, with two major breakups, metal health struggles and family hostility - with Ronnie's mother having once reportedly called Laila a 'prostitute'.
However, it seems that the pair have very much found reconciliation, as news of the wedding comes just a week after it was claimed they were planning to relocate to Dubai for a 'fresh start' to see 'how it goes'.
Taking off into the Emirati sunset may have likely provided some much needed respite for Ronnie and Laila, whose romance has made headlines since they first met by chance in 2011 and were engaged within four months of meeting.
It seems that the pair have very much found reconciliation, as news of the wedding comes just a week after it was claimed they were planning to relocate to Dubai for a 'fresh start' to see 'how it goes'. Both pictured in 2023
They have split up and reunited several times; but starting afresh and leaving their rocky past behind in the UK, the pair were said to be pursuing a 'happy, quiet life' via their big move, insiders told The Sun.
Fans have long feared for the future career of the seven-time world champion after he hinted that he was considering moving to Middle East following a poor run of matches earlier this year.
The star told the BBC in May earlier this year that he was considering 'a new life somewhere else' but that he didn't know 'what the future will look like for me really'.
It seems things are clearer for the snooker star now, with Laila, who hails from East London and is of Moroccan heritage.
Dubai is also just two hours away from Riyadh, where Ronnie set up his snooker academy, and could form part of his relocation decision, a source said.
His plans to leave the UK appear to be edging closer, with the eight-time Masters champion's £2million Epping Forest house up for sale and Laila back in his life.
But it's not always been smooth sailing for the couple.
The actress, who has starred in Holby City and EastEnders, previously described 'soul-destroying' struggles with Ronnie in the months leading up to their breakup last year - the second major split in their timeline.
Their relationship began 14 years ago, when the snooker star made contact with Laila and asked her to view his house which he had recently put on the market. When she went to the viewing, his father Ronnie Sr. showed her around, while talking up his son.
'It happened by accident,' she previously said. 'I was shown around Ronnie's house by his father, who told his son about meeting me. Ronnie called the estate agent, a friend of mine, and asked me out via her.
'When he said he was a snooker player I said, 'yeah but what does he do for a living?' I'd never heard of him because sport doesn't interest me at all, although Ronnie's won me over to snooker.'
They subsequently moved into a property in Essex together having dated for just four months - with also taking care of her daughter, Inez, who was born from a previous marriage.
By February 2013, they were engaged.
However, the nuptials didn't come in the next few years, and Laila told the Mirror in 2019: 'I'd have to really gear myself up for a wedding. At the moment we've put it on the back burner and we're enjoying our time so there's no rush.'
In 2022 - after a decade together - Laila shocked fans when she announced their first major split.
'After nearly ten years of love and memories, Ronnie & I have parted ways,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Peace & love to you all. Laila X.'
The separation did not last long, however, and by April of that year Laila was spotted wearing her engagement ring once again.
By May, after a month filled with rumours and speculation, the pair confirmed their reconciliation, before jetting off on holiday.
The actress said, that year, that open communication brought them back together after their split.
'We found our way back, we just worked it out. Back when I announced it, we hadn't been together for almost eight months at that time' she told Loose Women.
'Talking is so underrated. If you can sit down and say how you feel and what you want when you get older that is much easier to say too.'
They have faced challenges relating to their families, with Ronnie's mother Maria having reportedly taken an 'instant dislike' to Laila and called her 's**g' during a bitter row, the snooker star's sister Danielle alleged in an interview.
Speaking to The Sun in 2020, Ronnie's younger sister Danielle shared how his mother once labelled her 'a f***ing s***g'.
She claimed: 'Ronnie has given Mum so much help in the past. But when he asked her for £15,000 last year, he told me she said, "I'm not giving you money for that f*****g s**g!"
'She has shown me Laila's number saved on her phone under "the revolving f***y" and allegedly told Ronnie that "she's just a prostitute - she'll sleep with anyone".'
Maria, who served a year-long prison sentence for tax evasion back in 1996, was claimed to be a factor in her son's relationship with Laila deteriorating.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline in 2022, a female relative of Laila's, who did not want to be named, slammed Maria for her attitude, claiming that it did not help Laila and Ronnie's relationship.
'We are a big family with good values and believe in conducting ourselves properly and behaving and speaking decently,' they explained. 'I don't feel that it's respectful to talk about Laila in this way.
'Ronnie's mum's attitude in the relationship has not helped. She does not sound like a very nice person to me. It's probably better that Laila and Ronnie didn't get married because who would want a mother-in-law like that?'
And though Ronnie and Laila have weathered many a storm, they have both acted as pillars of support during tense periods in each others lives.
From the beginning, Laila been a stabilising influence for the seven-time world champion, whose struggles with depression, alcohol and drug abuse are well documented.
'I'm so proud of him and think he's very capable of handling his depression these days,' Laila said after Ronnie, who has three children from previous relationships, was awarded an OBE in 2016.
'He's been strong enough to seek help, and brave enough to talk about the problem, and is so positive and upbeat about life,' she told The Sun.
'I do support him - just as he supports me - and it's easy to support someone when you know what they're going through. You know what you should and shouldn't say - it's about creating a safety net around them.
'He's under an immense amount of pressure, he's always a favourite to win, which can be hard, and we have to take that on board.
'He lives a very healthy lifestyle these days and uses exercise, especially running, to help him keep his depression at bay. It's inspiring being with him to be honest.'
Ronnie embraced the relationship equally wholeheartedly, forging a strong relationship with Laila's daughter Inez, who was born in February 2007.
A desire to spend more time with her daughter prompted Laila to leave her role as Sahira Shah in the medical drama Holby City in 2012, and the willingness with which Ronnie embraced the role of step-father was crucial in cementing the relationship.
'Ronnie's lovely with his children, we see them often, and he's a fabulous step-father to Inez,' Laila told the Belfast Telegraph. 'He's such a good male role model for her and they're friends who laugh together as well.
'We're so lucky to have him. It was key to me that they got on because she's my priority.'
Their relationship, which first blossomed in 2011, has traversed many a rocky seas over the years, with two major breakups, metal health struggles and family hostility - Ronnie's mother having once reportedly called Laila a 'prostitute'. Ronnie pictured in 1996
Ronnie, for his part, has credited Laila with toughening him up.
'Laila's just a bit more streetwise than me, a bit more savvy,' said the scorer of a record 15 maximum 147 breaks.
The fiery love story however endured more turmoil, as in 2024, another break-up came, with rumours of separation first swirling in September after the actress was seen without her engagement ring during an appearance on This Morning.
But then, days later, Ronnie was seen putting the bins out in his Y-fronts and slippers at the house they share in Essex.
A few months on, in December, Laila addressed the rumours in an Instagram post as as shared an AI filtered image of herself alongside the caption: 'Break ups can strip you down to your essence.'
However, she didn't directly name Ronnie.
Insiders had also claimed at the time that while they tried their hardest to make it work, the couple struggled to persevere through their increasingly diverging lives.
However, according to reports, Laila had chosen to remain in their family home while Ronnie had secured a new abode nearby - with the exes reportedly maintaining a friendship.
Work commitments were said to have caused the pair to drift apart, although the split appeared amicable after they were spotted sharing an embrace during a dog walk.
'He kept posting pics of them online at home together and saying romantic things on special occasions, but that's all come to a halt,' one source told The Sun.
'They've tried so hard but they just can't make it work. There is a lot of love between them but they have been going in different directions and conceded it is over.
'Ronnie has spent months and months on the road this year doing snooker tours for big money in China and Saudi Arabia while Laila has been concentrating on her acting career.'
An insider close to the pair also told MailOnline: 'There's no bad blood between them. They're getting on with their lives and continue to be close friends. There's no ugly fallout, that's for sure.'
At the time of their breakup, a resurfaced clip from Ronnie's Prime Video documentary The Edge Of Everything indicated the couple had been battling troubles for a while, with a terse exchange showing Ronnie discussing his 'demons'.
In the programme, Laila sat down with the snooker playerafter his 6-4 defeat to Neil Robertson at the Masters in 2022 where she described how 'hard' it was to watch him go through defeats.
'It's like so soul-destroying. But that's because I think you do love it, as much as you maybe hate to admit it,' she said.
Their nuptials appeared to however, cement a new chapter for the love story.
Laila, who is of Moroccan and Indian heritage, looked every inch the blushing bride in an elegant silk dress and black cowboy boots as she cuddled up to her new husband Ronnie in photos from their big day.
She also sported a traditional Palestinian scarf, known as the Keffiyeh, in a show of support for the country, which she reiterated in a caption after previously calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
She penned: 'Palestinians have taught me so much, most importantly to honour human connection, make love your motivator and to keep refreshing it.
'So l suppose after almost a year break...this was one way of pressing the refresh button. Ok... so it wasn't Venice... that was fully booked.
'It was Cable Street in Shadwell where I was born and where my heart belongs. It's where in 1936, local activists along with the Jewish community gathered together to demonstrate against the planned fascist BUF marchers.
'The Battle of Cable Street was used by my father as an example of how a community rooted in justice, can bring change...that we all have a duty to fight for the freedom and rights of others.
'The East End is the land of the immigrants. Its vibrancy, diversity and working class roots is something I treasure.
'I was born there, I was educated there, today I was married there and I will be buried there because my roots are my roots. Free Palestine. Mrs O'Sullivan.'