Ronnie O’Sullivan’s wife is British actress Laila Rouass. The couple, who first began dating in 2012 and got engaged in 2013, finally married in a low-key ceremony in June 2025 at St George’s Town Hall in Shadwell, East London, after a long on-and-off relationship . Rouass, 54, is best known for her television roles in Footballers’ Wives and Holby City, and she has been a consistent presence in the snooker champion’s life through several public splits and reconciliations.
The path to marriage for Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass was anything but straightforward. They met somewhat accidentally around 2012 when Rouass was viewing a house O’Sullivan had put on the market; his father showed her around and later encouraged his son to call her . They began dating shortly after and were engaged by February 2013, but the wedding did not happen for over a decade . During that time, the couple separated publicly on more than one occasion. Rouass announced a split in 2022 after nearly ten years together, though they reconciled within months . A second major separation followed in September 2024, but by January 2025 they had found their way back to each other, and they married five months later .
The wedding itself was remarkably private. The ceremony took place at St George’s Town Hall in Shadwell, a location significant to Rouass because it is where she was born and where her heart belongs . According to O’Sullivan, the guest list was minimal. “I didn’t actually have anyone there,” he later said. “I mean, we had Laila’s sisters. But we didn’t want anything big” . The seven-time world snooker champion did not have a best man, and his parents were not in attendance . The couple confirmed the news on Instagram with a photo of themselves on the town hall steps under falling confetti, captioned simply: “We finally made it official!! Mr & Mrs O’Sullivan” .
Laila Rouass is a familiar face to British television audiences. Born on 22 June 1971, she built a successful acting career with prominent roles as Amber Gates in Footballers’ Wives from 2004 to 2006 and as surgeon Sahira Shah in the BBC medical drama Holby City, a role she played from 2011 to 2012 and returned to in 2021 . She also appeared in Spooks and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and in 2009 she competed on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Anton Du Beke and finished in fourth place . Her career as an actress has run parallel to O’Sullivan’s snooker dominance, making them one of British sport and entertainment’s more notable couples.Laila Rouass Quick Bio
Notes on sourcing: Height is sourced from a 2010 regional newspaper profile and is consistent with widely reported figures. Net worth figures come from a secondary aggregator and should be treated as an estimate, not a verified fact. The education details are based on a single interview with Grazia Pakistan and are limited in detail.
Following the wedding, the couple made a significant life change by relocating from the United Kingdom to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates . The move was described as a “fresh start” and a “clean break” from the UK . O’Sullivan has spoken about enjoying the lifestyle in Dubai and has a snooker academy in nearby Saudi Arabia, which makes the location practical for his professional commitments . Rouass, who is of Moroccan origin, reportedly wanted a sunny home, and the couple agreed the lifestyle there suited them both . They sold their Essex home before departing . The relocation represents a deliberate step away from the intense media scrutiny they have faced in Britain.
The relationship has not been without external pressures. Reports have surfaced over the years about tensions between Rouass and O’Sullivan’s family, particularly his mother . These claims, largely sourced from tabloid interviews with relatives, have not been addressed publicly by the couple in any substantive way and should be treated with the caution appropriate to unverified family disputes. What is clearer is that the couple’s own pattern has been one of persistence. They have separated and reconciled multiple times, and their eventual marriage in 2025 marked a resolution after more than a decade of uncertainty . For a couple that once seemed perpetually engaged but never wed, the quiet ceremony in East London closed a long chapter.
In February 2026, Rouass offered a public glimpse of their married life with a Valentine’s Day message on Instagram. “My first Valentine as Mrs O’Sullivan. Happy Love Day to my sweet, generous and hot husband Ronnie O’Sullivan,” she wrote . The message was a rare warm public statement from a couple that has generally kept their relationship private, especially since moving abroad. It also confirmed that the marriage, despite its slow and turbulent path, had settled into something stable. For O’Sullivan, whose career has been defined by extraordinary achievement and occasional personal volatility, the quiet partnership with Rouass appears to have provided a grounding force in his life away from the snooker table.
Q1: Who is Ronnie O’Sullivan’s wife?
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s wife is British actress Laila Rouass. She is best known for her roles as Amber Gates in Footballers’ Wives and Sahira Shah in Holby City . The two married in June 2025, with the wedding held at St George’s Town Hall in East London .
Q2: When did Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass get married?
The two married in June 2025. O’Sullivan confirmed the news on Instagram with the caption “We finally made it official!! Mr & Mrs O’Sullivan” . The wedding was extremely low-key, with only Rouass’s sisters in attendance and O’Sullivan not inviting his own parents or having a best man .
Q3: Why did Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass move to Dubai?
The main reason was O’Sullivan’s training needs. There were no high-quality snooker practice facilities near their Essex home, requiring frequent trips to Sheffield for training . Rouass was unwilling to move to Sheffield and suggested either Spain or Dubai, and O’Sullivan ultimately chose Dubai because it is closer to China and the Middle East, making it more convenient for competitions and his snooker academy in Saudi Arabia . The couple sold their Essex home and relocated after the wedding .
Q4: Did Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass break up before getting married?
Yes, they separated multiple times. The two began dating in 2012 and got engaged in 2013, then announced their separation in February 2022, reconciling a few months later . They separated again in September 2024, reconciled in January 2025, and married five months later . Rouass previously stated in an interview that “communication” was key to their reconciliation .
