RONNIE O'Sullivan and Laila Rouass discussed their "soul-destroying" struggles in a resurfaced clip filmed before the pair split.
The snooker legend broke up with his fiancée 12 years after they first started dating.
Ronnie, 48, who has scored a record 15 maximum-147 breaks in a glittering career, has been playing abroad and barely seen 53-year-old actress Laila.
The famous pair were together for 12 years and the couple had their relationship ups and downs.
However Ronnie and Laila never married and friends say they have now broken up 147 months after they first met.
Now, a clip from Ronnie's Prime Video documentary The Edge Of Everything has resurfaced, which shows the couple during a terse exchange while the snooker star discussed struggling with his "demons".
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In the documentary, which was released in November, Laila sat down with Ronnie after his 6-4 defeat to Neil Robertson at the Masters in 2022.
She said: "I want you to do what makes you to be happy I don't tell you to stop or to carry on. I would never put you in a situation like that."
But Ronnie then cut in, saying: "But I think I am much more comfortable with it now than I have ever been.
"If I didn't stop before, when I was really uncomfortable, why would I stop now if I feel more comfortable with it? It is as if I have overcome my demons in a way."
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Laila then added: "I think that's your mood today. When you see it in a romantic way. But the reality is it's hard to watch somebody go through that emotionally.
"That's when the questions come in. Jesus, why is he doing this? Why does he put himself through it?'
"It's like so soul-destroying. But that's because I think you do love it, as much as you maybe hate to admit it."
Laila was seen today loading bags into a car and was not wearing her engagement ring.
The actress was previously spotted not wearing her diamond engagement ring when she appeared on This Morning last month.
Seven-times world champion Ronnie gave her the huge sparkler in 2013 — a year after they started dating.
The glamorous Footballers' Wives star and snooker genius also separated in 2022 before patching things up.
A friend said: “Ronnie and Laila really threw themselves back into their relationship after the split a couple of years ago.
“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.
“They have been going in different directions.”
Meanwhile, Ronnie was spotted parking his Porsche at Woodford Station today in Essex.
The sportsman, who has scored a record 15 maximum-147 breaks in a glittering snooker career has been taking part in lucrative competitions abroad.
He's not had the best run though amid his relationship breakdown - telling fans this week to FORGET about an eighth World Championship after an "awful, embarrassing" defeat at the English Open.
The pal went on: “Ronnie has spent months and months on the road this year doing snooker tours for big money in China and Saudi Arabia while Laila has been concentrating on her acting career.
“There is a lot of love between them but they have been going in different directions and conceded it is over.
“Ronnie and Laila make a lovely couple so the people who know them best are hoping this is a blip like back in 2022.”
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Ronnie, who has three kids from previous relationships, has spoken openly about his mental health battles and regularly threatens to retire from snooker.
This week he crashed out of the English Open after a shock first-round loss to China’s He Guoqiang, with fans criticising his decision to play left-handed.