Hazel Irvine speaks out about interviewing Ronnie O'Sullivan and admits 'it's difficult'
In her 23 years of leading snooker coverage for the BBC, Hazel Irvine revealed her experiences in interviewing the sport's most mercurial character in Ronnie O'Sullivan
Hazel Irvine admitted that Ronnie O'Sullivan 's brutal honesty is difficult to gauge when interviewing the snooker legend. Irvine – who has hosted snooker coverage for the BBC since 2002 – was one of the first females to lead sports broadcasts for the company.
On top of presenting Triple Crown snooker events, the Scotswoman has headed coverage of both the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, as well as major golf tournaments.
It was during an appearance on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips YouTube channel that she was asked by the seven-time world champion on whether there's a player she's interviewed that sets off alarm bells in her head.
Hendry subsequently pointed out O'Sullivan given his reputation for not pulling punches when it comes to speaking his mind. Irvine discussed her experiences chatting to the 49-year-old throughout the years and admitted the most difficult aspect of talking to him.
"I really enjoy speaking to Ronnie [and] he's been brilliant with us actually," she revealed. "It's very difficult to be in tune with anybody who so readily expresses exactly what they feel and you can feel and see it in his body language.
"I think you can read him to an extent, but I love hearing what he has to say. I think we're privileged to actually be able to share what he wants to say. I think he's still brilliant for the game and it's still always a real privilege."
Irvine and O'Sullivan have enjoyed candid chats on numerous occasions, with their most recent exchange coming after his World Snooker Championship quarter-final win over Si Jiahui.
Despite his run to the semi-finals where he was beaten by Zhao Xintong, The Rocket was honest about the lack of faith in his ability as he joked to the presenter that his support team had thrown in the towel on him.
While laughing he said: "Team? I'm unhelpable. I think they've all given up after they've gone through the motions," before expressing his gratitude for sports psychologist Steve Peters.
"Steve has been amazing," O'Sullivan insisted. "I wouldn't have got round the first round without Steve. He's been incredible. I wouldn't have got through the first round without him I suppose. I've tried to give it my best, which I have, and I'm just hanging in there."
Delving deeper into the impact Peters has on the snooker great, Irvine asked: "If he's not around, do you feel different? Do you need him around?" O'Sullivan responded: "If I could afford him then I'd have him every day.
"I'd be like [F1 star] Lance Stroll's dad, just write the check out and he's here full-time. But obviously he's a busy man who I couldn't afford to have full-time. So any little bits I try and time when I can have him."
Following his 17-7 defeat to Zhao, O'Sullivan casted doubt on his future in the sport, revealing that he plans to permanently relocate away from the UK. "I think I'm going to be moving out of the UK this year," he said after his loss. "A new life somewhere else.
"I'll still try and play snooker, but I don't know what the future looks like for me really. I'm moving away soon so I'll just see how it goes. There's a lot of more important things in life to worry about than a game of snooker. For me, it's a big part of my life but I've got to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it's playing or not."
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