World Snooker Championship final ref has a secret hobby and feuded with Ronnie O'Sullivan
Desislava Bozhilova will become only the second woman in history to referee a World Snooker Championship final when she takes charge of the Crucible showpiece
Referee Desislava Bozhilova is set to tick off a massive career goal when she takes the helm at the World Snooker Championship final, becoming just the second woman ever to oversee the Crucible's biggest match.
At 32, Bozhilova has been on the World Snooker Tour since 2012, fuelled by a lifelong passion for cue sports.
She's quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the circuit's top refs.
Bozhilova first stepped into the Crucible limelight in 2019 and has even taken charge of a semi-final there.
But it's the 2025 final that will be her crowning achievement, as she completes her Triple Crown of finals.
Ronnie O'Sullivan exchange
Rewind to 12 months ago during The Rocket's quarter-final face-off with Stuart Bingham, and you'll find O'Sullivan getting hot under the collar over how Bozhilova had respotted a black, opting out of a red in the 12th frame.
As the match hit fever pitch, tied at 10 frames each, fans began pouring back in while Kyren Wilson and John Higgins were about to resume play after a break. With the crowd buzzing, O'Sullivan retreated to his chair, biding his time before targeting a pivotal red.
Amidst the hubbub, Bozhilova called out to the spectators: "Would you take your seats quickly, and then hold the door closed for a minute."
As the official signalled for The Rocket to get back to the baize, he wasn't having any of it, still miffed by the racket from the crowd. To this, Bozhilova remarked: "But we might wait 20 minutes." O'Sullivan was quick with a comeback, retorting: "It's not 20 minutes. Just chill, chill.
"I'm chilled," came the cool reply from the ref. This icy exchange didn't exactly help O'Sullivan in his game, but he did manage to pot the red in the top-right corner. Despite this, he would go on to lose 13-10 to Bingham, shattering his dreams of an eighth Crucible title.
Passion for baking
When she's not ruling the snooker world with an iron fist, Bozhilova is whipping up a storm in the kitchen.
With a Masters in Landscape Architecture under her belt, she's also a whizz at baking, flaunting her fabulous cake creations on social media.
Her Instagram is a treasure trove of colourful and elaborate edible art, featuring everything from Christmas trees to unicorns and even snooker balls, much to the delight of her 37,000 fans.
Officiating origin and Crucible dream
The Bulgarian swapped playing pool and snooker for officiating, donning the white gloves after acing her international referee exam in 2012 and making her WST debut the same year.
Learning she'd be only the second woman ever to oversee a Crucible final, following in the footsteps of pioneer Michaela Tabb who did so in 2009 and 2012, Bozhilova confessed that snagging this gig was nothing short of a 'dream' come true.
"I am really excited, it was an amazing feeling when I was given the news," she expressed to World Snooker. "It is what I have worked towards for many years, it has been my dream. It will be different to any other final because of the atmosphere at the Crucible.
"Since I started working in snooker, I have learned everything from the more experienced referees. They give advice and tell us how to improve. There is a lot of teamwork, and we support each other," she happily concluded.