Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed that he and Stephen Hendry did not speak for three years after the former walked out of their UK Championship quarter-final in 2006. The seven-time world champion abandoned the match while trailing, leaving the snooker world stunned and his opponent visibly bewildered.
Speaking in 2010, O'Sullivan admitted that Hendry, whom he described as one of his heroes, had been upset by the incident. "After I walked last time Stephen - who is one of my heroes - fell out with me and didn't talk to me for about three years," O'Sullivan said. "But I love the guy and he's the greatest snooker player of all time."
The pair eventually repaired their relationship, with O'Sullivan noting that they began texting regularly. "We're talking again now and text each other a lot so there's a mutual respect," he added.
Years later, the two discussed the incident openly on Hendry's YouTube channel. Hendry recalled that people still ask him about the match and asked O'Sullivan if he had ever watched it back to see his reaction. O'Sullivan replied that it was "the best" because Hendry was "absolutely dumbfounded".
Explaining his state of mind at the time, O'Sullivan said: "I had a lot going on off the table at home and I wasn't in the right frame of mind to play. I'd nearly done it in a few matches before. You were 4-1 up and I thought 'I can't take this, I need to get out of here'. My head just wasn't right for playing. I just needed to be out of there. I can't put it down to anything other than my life being in chaos."
