RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has named the snooker star who is the “best company in the world”.
The Rocket has claimed that Jimmy White is one of his closest friends.
O’Sullivan, 48, was asked by Eurosport which fellow snooker player he would most like to sit next to on a plane.
He was quick with his response as he insisted on the Whirlwind.
He said: “Jimmy White.
“Best company in the world, he’s funny, he’s lovely, he’s got a big heart, beautiful.
“He’s one of my best mates, I love him.”
O’Sullivan looked up to the veteran White when he started playing snooker.
The pair have since become close friends through life on tour and working together.
In 2022, the Rocket worked with White for Eurosport and insisted that his buddy is the “best company”.
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He said: “I love this geezer and I’m sweating buckets out there, but I’d much rather be sitting here with this fella for 17 days.
“This geezer is the best, the best company.
“Me and Jimmy have worked on Eurosport for years and we’ve always been good mates but we’ve become like blood brothers.
“He’s like my biggest brother and I love him.”
RONNIE O'SULLIVAN has enjoyed an incredible career as snooker's biggest star.
But the Rocket’s turbulent past has led to struggles with mental health, addiction and yo-yo weight battles.
O’Sullivan’s parents ran a chain of sex shops in Essex and his father was jailed for 20 years for murder when he was just 16.
In the Amazon documentary The Edge of Everything, the snooker icon admitted his dad going to prison had a profound effect.
He said: “I didn’t want to blame everything on that situation with my dad, but I was thinking, ‘I’d rather not have the snooker. just a normal family’. Because… It was a dream, but looking back, it was a nightmare.”
Just a year later, Ronnie became the youngest ever UK Champion, seven days before his 18th birthday. Then at 19, in 1994, he became the youngest Masters champion.
But he has already begun to binge on drink and drugs and, when his mum was sent to prison for tax evasion, in 1996, he struggled to cope with looking after his eight–year-old sister alone.
The affection is not only in one direction, as White is also fond of O’Sullivan.
He said in 2021: “We’ve been good friends. We’ve helped each other with our careers over the years.
“We’re good pals, when we’re away from snooker the last thing we talk about is snooker.
“We enjoy each other’s company, he’s a great guy to be around.
“What I love about Ronnie is he is genuine, he does speak his mind, sometimes he gets himself into trouble with that but that’s the way he is.
“He’s my mate and if he let me down it would hurt, that’s what real mates feel about each other.
“We’ve had some great days out, at the tennis, racing, been out clubbing, these are many years ago, but we always always have a laugh.”
FROM his lightning breaks to blasts at officials, Ronnie O'Sullivan has fired snooker into the spotlight.
The seven-time world champion makes almost as big an impact away from the table as on it.
O’Sullivan has three children – two daughters and a son.
And the Rocket’s on-off relationship with British actress Laila Rouass has also hit the headlines.
He has opened up on battles with his weight and addiction.
While the controversial cueist reckons he wasted NINE YEARS of his career by partying too hard.
Despite being worth £14million, O’Sullivan is renowned for his love of canal boats and snubbing flashy cars.
His rivalry with fellow star Judd Trump has been branded ‘snooker’s greatest feud’.
And Ali Carter had his nose knocked out of joint by the Rocket in their infamous ‘Snotgate’ row.
Check out all our latest Ronnie O’Sullivan articles.
