Snooker star Shaun Murphy is set to marry for a third time. However, he unwittingly ruined his own engagement plans by winning the British Open.
Murphy, 43, recently popped the question to his partner of four years, Jo Rochell, with his now-fiancée saying yes right away. While Murphy asked Rochell in the privacy of his own home, his initial grand plans were scuppered by his own skills on the green baize. The two-time Masters champion had a scheme in motion to propose at one of the couple’s favourite restaurants. That’s until he succeeded at the British Open and then reached the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix in China, where he lost to Mark Williams, the following month. Little did Rochell know, but while she was cheering him on at the Cheltenham-based event, her own engagement to the snooker hero was therefore postponed, as a win would ensure he was to be double-booked on the occasion he had planned to propose.
Murphy explained: “The funny story is that I’d planned to do the engagement at our favourite hotel, which is up in North Yorkshire. I’d planned to do the engagement there over the dates of the 167 event [in Saudi Arabia].”
He continued: “By winning the British and getting to the final in China two weeks ago that meant I couldn’t do that – so the plans had to change. Jo is at home celebrating every match that I win, not knowing that it’s cancelling the engagement.
“So there was a bit of last-minute change of plan, but that’s why it ended up being a spur-of-the-moment and we came out here. All the best laid plans! I’d ruined my own engagement by winning the British Open!”
The man known as ‘the Magician’ is in Nanjing for the International Championship, which kicked off on Sunday. However, he touched down a little worse for wear after he celebrated his engagement by “drinking dry” all the champagne on his flight to China.
The reigning Masters champion said: “I don’t know if anyone celebrates on their way to Nanjing. I don’t know if anyone’s ever done that before, but that’s what we did. It was a last-minute thing. Last minute before we came out. Yeah, we’re both delighted.”
Speaking of how he eventually proposed, he said: “We went out for dinner and I had the ring in my pocket and it was all very low key. In the end, it didn’t feel right to do it in the restaurant in front of a load of strangers, so we went home and had a drink and just did it in the privacy of our own home.
“It was a nice personal moment, and as I say, it was very special, it’s been a long time coming. We’re both really delighted, excited. Hopefully, it’ll be a great week here. It’s already been a good week. A lovely week on and off the table.
“It’s magical, and of course, it’s the run-up to Christmas, and the Triple Crown events are about to start. Some big tournaments round the corner.”
He concluded: “We’re obviously in a great mindset, we’re both going to have a great time, whatever happens. There’s no champagne left on Emirates, because we drank it dry. So, we’ll have a nice week. We’re going to be celebrating for a bit longer yet.”
Murphy is twice divorced. He married to Clare Llewellyn in 2005 and in 2016, he tied the knot to Ireland-based academic Elaine, with whom he shares two children. However, the pair split on amicable terms two years ago.
