2 weeks ago
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Snooker star Shaun Murphy will hope it's a case of third time lucky after popping the question to his girlfriend Jo Rochell last weekend.
Murphy, 43, and his new fiancee - who is an internationally acclaimed piano player and vocalist - shared the happy news on Instagram with a selfie and a picture of her new ring.
She wrote: 'Four years ago, he booked me for a gig... after many MANY ups and downs, I said 'Yes' to a lifetime of more.'
It will be the third time Murphy will say 'I do'. The 43-year-old, who rose to fame after winning the World Championship as a qualifier in 2005, is twice divorced after failed marriages to Claire and Elaine.
But hopes are high that this one is for keeps. Murphy, who has an estimated net worth of £5million, admitted that he popped the question later than initially planned.
'We went out for dinner and I had the ring in my pocket and it was all very low key,' he revealed via The Mirror. '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.
Snooker legend Shaun Murphy is engaged for a third time, after popping the question to musician Jo Rochell
The loved-up pair announced the exciting news last weekend, although his initial proposal plan was scuppered
'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.
'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.
'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.'
Jo has been Murphy's bedrock for the past few years. In a social media post celebrating his birthday in August, she said: 'This past year hasn't been easy, you've faced so many personal challenges, most of which people will never see.
'You've faced things head on with courage, vulnerability and humour. You make me laugh every single day - I can't wait for the next 365 days of belly laughs.'
Murphy split from Ireland-based second wife Elaine in May 2023. He shares two children with his ex-wife, Harry and Molly, having wed in 2016. They relocated to Dublin shortly after their wedding day but despite huge effort to make the marriage work, they separated.
'We tried to reconcile and it will be nice to look back in years to come and know we tried absolutely everything to make our marriage work,' Murphy said at the time of his marriage breakdown.
It will be the third time Murphy ties the knot, having previously been married to Claire (above) and Elaine
'It's amicable. We move on as friends and our whole lives now become about raising our children and protecting them from everything that people go through in life, because life's not easy.'
Prior to that, Murphy's first marriage with ex-wife Claire broke down in 2009. Again, the Essex-born snooker star relocated, this time to Rotherham, in 2004 to be with his first flame before getting hitched the following year.
But three years later their marriage unravelled following the huge exposure that followed his groundbreaking Crucible win in 2005.
'[The press] found out that, at the time, I was heavily religious,' Murphy, who says he was 'completely unprepared' for the spotlight, told The Guardian.
'I'm an atheist now but back then I was deep down the rabbit hole of being a born-again Christian. Some unsavoury things were written about me, which I didn't know how to handle.'
Prior to his second appearance in a World Championship final, Murphy made headlines after reportedly spending the night with an escort.
However, the episode is clouded by mystery. Brandon Parker, his agent at the time of the scandal, insisted that the pair did not have sex and Murphy later claimed he did not know of his companion's profession.
'This girl and I had dated in our teenage years, and following the break-up from my wife at the time in 2008, she reconnected with me through Facebook,' Murphy clarified.
He was also embroiled in an escort scandal, but denies knowing what his companion did for a living at the time of the episode
Murphy has turned a corner, though, having undergone a life-changing operation in 2022
'She led me down the garden path a little and made up stories of what she did for a job. It turned out she was an escort. Nobody was more surprised than me, and it was very unnerving to see these things written about you.'
Murphy is back on the straight and narrow now and has enjoyed a huge boost in his wellbeing - both mental and physical.
In 2022, he underwent a gastric sleeve procedure having previously weighed 20 stone. He says the operation had a life-changing impact on him and his self-esteem.
He told Eurosport: 'The surgery that I had has changed my life from top to bottom.
'I think whilst I did not go to see a doctor, had I have done I think someone would have signed me off with complete full depression. I was in a very, very bad state mentally.
'My self-esteem was through the floor and I did not want to go out and play. I did not want to leave the house and that spiralled into feeling miserable and eating more. I don't think it is too extreme to say it was life-saving for me.'
