Ronnie O'Sullivan's girlfriend Laila Rouass has told Ali Carter to "hush your mouth and be a good boy" as she delivered her verdict on the bitter row between the two players.
Following the Masters final at Alexandra Palace earlier this month, Carter hit out at his opponent after O'Sullivan came from 6-3 down to win 10-7 and claim his eighth title. The pair have had a frosty relationship over the years but tensions were heightened when Carter accused O'Sullivan of "snotting all over the floor".
O'Sullivan was made aware of Carter's comments in his post-match press conference and fired straight back, branding Carter as f***ing nightmare and claiming he has "issues". In the expletive-laden rant, O'Sullivan raised his middle finger and appeared to be furious with Carter.
A matter of days later, Carter responded and insisted O'Sullivan needed mental health support, admitting: "I actually feel a bit sorry for him. I don't think he's that well, mentally." The public spat continued into the World Grand Prix in Leicester, an event O'Sullivan once again won after beating Judd Trump in the final.
Now, O'Sullivan's girlfriend has taken aim at Carter after resurfacing comments made about The Rocket when he was stuck on six World Championship titles. At the time, Carter claimed O'Sullivan wouldn't win another one, but he later won his seventh in 2022 after a 18-13 win over Trump.
"Different animal" Mark Allen on how O'Sullivan helped him through divorceSpeaking on Instagram, Rouass said: "Ali Carter said four or five years ago that Ronnie doesn’t have another World Championship win in him. What did he go and do? He went and won. That didn't age well, did it Ali Carter? Now hush your mouth and be a good boy. Concentrate on your snooker."
Carter was heading towards his first Masters title at Ally Pally before O'Sullivan came back to win. "There were a couple of things that happened out there that go unnoticed," Carter said after the match.
"Well, they don't go unnoticed but anyone with an eyesight or a brain can see what's going on. And it's disgusting quite frankly. No one wants to say anything, do they? Snotting all over the floor and all that."
O'Sullivan, who was told about Carter's comments, replied: "He needs to sort his f***ing life out," O'Sullivan said. "I'm not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on egg shells around someone like that. He's a f***ing nightmare.
"Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He's not a nice person. It's not a nice vibe he leaves around the table. I've said my piece, I don't give a s**t. I've said it now, done. You know what he's like, everybody knows what he's like. He's got issues.
"F***ing why has he got issues with me? I'm not having it. I don't care, grow some balls. I don’t give a f**k, I don't give a f**k about any of these snooker players, any of them. The more he brings it on, the more I f***ing punish him every time. He’s just digging a grave for himself. I don’t give a f**k. That’s it, I’ve said my piece."