Ronnie O’Sullivan shared a romantic date night with wife Laila Rouass, as the pair continue to settle into life in the Middle East. O’Sullivan and Rouass opted to quit the United Kingdom last year for Dubai in search of a new life abroad.

The pair, who have split on several occasions in the past, moved to the UAE in 2025, citing a “fresh start” as the reason why. Just months earlier, they had somewhat surprisingly tied the knot, having last called off the relationship in 2024.

Rouass posted a clip on Instagram of snooker star O’Sullivan tucking into some food, while Kenny Thomas’ 1991 hit Thinking About Your Love played in the background. Speaking from behind the camera, she asked: “Ronnie how old were you when Kenny Thomas came out with his song Thinking About Your Love?” To which the seven-time world champion replied: “One, so that must make Kenny about 85 now.”

O’Sullivan and Rouass previously had a home in Essex, but sold up just before moving to Dubai. On the decision to move abroad, he told The Times: “So I had to do a lot of trips into London, an hour and twenty minutes each way – it was a headache. So a lot of the time I was having to go to Sheffield for, like, a week to get some proper practice done.”

He continued: “We’re not there for a boujie sort of lifestyle. I just like the simplicity of it there, the weather’s great. [In London] I didn’t actually have anyone there. I mean, we had Laila’s sisters. But we didn’t want anything big. I’m just not into all that stuff.”

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Before adding: “I work a lot in the Middle East and China, and the jet lag, I could never get on top of it. That was a struggle.” When quizzed on why they didn’t move to Spain, he said: “There’s not really a lot to do there, is there? And there’s not a lot of snooker tables.”

Asia has become a snooker hub in recent years, with Saudi Arabia in particular investing heavily in the sport. O’Sullivan also recently launched an academy in Riyadh – a move that was in partnership with the Saudi Arabian government.