Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan and his former fiancée Laila Rouass have been pictured for the first time since friends said the pair had split, after more than 12 years together.

O’Sullivan, 48, who was knocked out of the BetVictor English Open on Tuesday, is said to have spent little time with the actress, 53. 

Just last month, Footballers’ Wives star Ms Rouass was seen without her engagement ring during an appearance on This Morning.

Last night, those close to the pair told The Sun that work drove a wedge between them this year, with seven-time world champion Ronnie taking major trips abroad for competitions and Laila concentrating on her acting career.

As news of their split was revealed, a glum-looking O’Sullivan was pictured outside Woodford Station in north-east London looking downcast as he entered his car.

Meanwhile, Ms Rouass – who was again not wearing her engagement ring – was seen smiling and laughing on the phone during a trip to the supermarket.

Donning sunglasses and an all-black outfit, the actress was snapped speaking on the phone and struggling to carry packs of bottled water by herself.

The couple briefly split up for eight months after a decade together but got back together, with insiders hoping this current break-up ‘might be a blip like 2022’.

A friend told The Sun: ‘They have been going in different directions.’

‘Ronnie and Laila really threw themselves back into their relationship after the split a couple of years ago,’ the source said.

‘He kept posting pics of them online at home together and saying romantic things on special occasions, but that’s all come to a halt.

‘They’ve tried so hard but they just can’t make it work. There is a lot of love between them but they have been going in different directions and conceded it is over.’

MailOnline has contacted their representatives for comment.

The actress, who has starred in Holby City, Footballers’ Wives and EastEnders, was seen without her engagement ring during an appearance on This Morning.

She has been wearing the ring since 2013, when O’Sullivan gave it to her a year after they got with each other.

Their relationship blossomed in 2011 after Ronnie called Laila up to view his house that was recently put on the market and was given a tour by his father Ronnie O’Sullivan Sr.

‘It happened by accident,’ she previously said. ‘I was shown around Ronnie’s house by his father, who told his son about meeting me. Ronnie called the estate agent, a friend of mine, and asked me out via her.

A friend told The Sun: ‘They have been going in different directions.’ 

‘Ronnie and Laila really threw themselves back into their relationship after the split a couple of years ago,’ the source said.

‘He kept posting pics of them online at home together and saying romantic things on special occasions, but that’s all come to a halt. 

‘They’ve tried so hard but they just can’t make it work. There is a lot of love between them but they have been going in different directions and conceded it is over.’

MailOnline has contacted their representatives for comment. 

The actress, who has starred in Holby City, Footballer’s Wives and EastEnders, was seen without her engagement ring during an appearance on This Morning. 

She has been wearing the ring since 2013, when O’Sullivan gave it to her a year after they got with each other. 

Their relationship blossomed in 2011 after Ronnie called Laila up to view his house that was recently put on the market and was given a tour by his father Ronnie O’Sullivan Sr.

‘It happened by accident,’ she previously said. ‘I was shown around Ronnie’s house by his father, who told his son about meeting me. Ronnie called the estate agent, a friend of mine, and asked me out via her.

‘When he said he was a snooker player I said, ‘yeah but what does he do for a living?’ I’d never heard of him because sport doesn’t interest me at all, although Ronnie’s won me over to snooker.’

It was then their whirlwind romance began and they became engaged in the following year.

Speaking of their long engagement, Laila told the Mirror in 2019: ‘I’d have to really gear myself up for a wedding. At the moment we’ve put it on the back burner and we’re enjoying our time so there’s no rush.’

But the couple split up after a decade together with Laila making the announcement to shocked fans.

‘After nearly ten years of love and memories, Ronnie & I have parted ways,’ she wrote on Instagram in February 2022. ‘Peace & love to you all. Laila X.’

The separation did not last long, however, and by April Laila was spotted wearing her engagement ring once again.

By May, after a month filled with rumours and speculation, the pair confirmed their reconciliation, before jetting off on holiday.

The actress said last year that open communication brought them back together after their split.

‘We found our way back, we just worked it out. Back when I announced it, we hadn’t been together for almost eight months at that time.

‘Talking is so underrated. If you can sit down and say how you feel and what you want when you get older that is much easier to say too.’ 

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan admitted following his defeat against China’s He Guoqiang on Tuesday that the end of his snooker career was closing in on him.

‘I haven’t got long, I’m not going to deny it, I’m not playing well enough, there’s no point in even worrying about it – I’ve just accepted it now which is quite a nice place to be really’, he said. 

‘I’m awful, it’s embarrassing. I miss so many balls. I can’t get away from it, poor, but there’s nothing I can do about it,’ he added.

‘I’ve been missing balls for the last four or five years and every now and then I’ll miss a few less, maybe, and get a couple of results.

‘I don’t even care, I’m just here to fulfil my commitments to my sponsors, get away from home, travel.’