Former England footballer Andy Carroll has revealed that he was sexually assaulted by a “celebrity mate” who was later sentenced to three years in prison following what he described as a “humiliating and horrendous” court case.
In a deeply personal section of his new book, Owning It, the 37-year-old striker said the “traumatic” incident happened several years ago. He added that he made the decision to write about it only at the last minute, after extensive discussions with his publisher.
Andy, who represented England between 2010 and 2012, wrote: “There are other things I would love to forget but cannot. Something happened to me a few years ago that was so traumatic I only decided to include it in this book at the very last minute.”
“I was sexually assaulted. There, I’ve said it. It is frightening even to think about, and only a handful of people knew before now.”
The man was subsequently convicted of sexual offences and given a three-year prison sentence.
Carroll said the assault took place the night after a Newcastle United match, when a celebrity friend of his former partner invited himself to their home to watch a boxing fight.
Andy Carroll has disclosed that he was sexually assaulted in a “traumatic” incident involving a celebrity friend, who was later jailed for three years after what Carroll called a “humiliating and horrendous” court case.
Carroll, who played for England from 2010 to 2012, said he decided to include the account in his book only “at the last minute” after lengthy conversations with his publisher.
Describing his relationship with the man, Carroll wrote: “He was constantly asking me and my ex to go out with him, and he even bought me clothes. He is divorced and has children, but I could never shake the feeling that he was interested in me in a way that was not platonic.
“Whenever I saw him at parties, he was always with young men.”
He continued: “I was playing somewhere down south and, on my way home, this guy texted to ask what I was doing.
“When he messaged again to ask whether he could come over and watch the boxing with me, my partner told me to stop pieing him off — in other words, stop putting him off.
“He took over the kitchen and began mixing drinks. I started to feel lightheaded and wondered whether he had put something in one of them. ‘Right, time for bed,’ I told him. ‘I’ll order you a taxi.’
“‘Oh no,’ he replied. ‘I’ll sleep in the spare room.’”
Carroll said he later woke to find the man sexually assaulting him.
“I sleep naked, and when I woke up, this guy was under the duvet trying to perform a sex act on me,” he wrote.
Carroll said he struck the man and ordered him to leave. “I hit him as hard as I could and he fell to the floor,” he wrote.
“I grabbed his feet and dragged him out on to the driveway. I went back inside, locked the door and called the police and the nanny. Then it suddenly occurred to me: what if I had killed him?”
“He regained consciousness just as the police arrived and immediately began telling them that I had hit him for no reason. The police arrested him, but I also had to go to the station.”
The man was later convicted of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison. He was also placed on the Sex Offender Register and prohibited from entering the village where Carroll lived.
Andy described the court case as ‘humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous’, while the attacker denied the allegations.
‘The case dragged on for two years. Nobody else knew about it other than my partner and her family and they gave me no support whatsoever.
‘The police called me to say he had been found guilty and I started uncontrollably crying.’
He added: ‘What happened to me affected every facet of my life. I’d think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football…The trauma of what happened to me hasn’t gone away.’
After speaking with girlfriend Lou Teasdale, 42, he decided opening up about being assaulted would be ‘worth it’ if it helped others.
‘Me and Lou spent a lot of time discussing whether to mention it in this book or not. I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet.
‘Scary to talk about but it’s made the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff. And if me talking about it helps just one person then good it will have been worth it.
Andy had reportedly vowed to cut down on alcohol in a bid to save his relationship with Lou Teasdale (pictured), as he confirmed the pair were trying ‘to work through their difficulties’
The ex-Newcastle and Liverpool striker, who now plays for National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge and serves as assistant manager, goes on to talk about his relationship with Lou.
The on-and-off couple, who appear to currently be on, have broken up many times due to alcohol, according to sources.
Andy had reportedly vowed to cut down on alcohol in a bid to save his relationship with Lou, as he confirmed the pair were trying ‘to work through their difficulties’.
‘Lou couldn’t believe how normal I was when she first met me,’ he wrote.
‘I’m not saying I could have had a career like Harry Kane but he is a great example of what kind of career you can have when you live a clean and disciplined life.
‘Don’t drink alcohol, eat the right things and spend hours each week in the gym and recover properly.
‘Contrast, I wanted to live an everyday life. Go out at weekends with friends and go on holiday with friends in the international break.
‘Go to music festivals and have a few too many drinks and a kebab now and again. Make mistakes without appearing in the papers.
‘You could argue trying to live a normal life is incompatible with being a majorly successful sports person.
‘But there is no point spending the rest of my days wishing I had a different mindset. I’m sure I’ve had more fun than your average player.’
‘I tell young players, if you want to party all the time, go for it. But you won’t be as successful in football as you could be but you’re an adult, it’s up to you.’
He added: ‘Strip clubs are very much part of football culture and only when I grew up did I realise how wrong it was to sit around ogling over naked women.
‘It’s incredibly disrespectful and not who I am. But as a young teenager in Belarus I was excited as anyone.’
Reflecting on how his huge salary rise affected his behaviour, he added: ‘Before my weekly wage jumped to £2,500 a week, I was quite sensible.
‘But soon enough I was spending time in bars, strip joints and casinos. If everyone wanted a tray of shots, I’d buy a tray of shots.
‘And while alcohol didn’t turn me into some violent loon, a well known footballer spending time in local establishments was bound to attract trouble.’
The ex-Premier League footballer recently pleaded not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order after being accused of repeatedly calling his reality TV star ex-wife Billi Mucklow.
Andy has formally entered a plea of not guilty to the charge and is due to stand trial next January.
Andy and TOWIE star Billi, 37, were together for 11 years but confirmed their split in September 2024 after secretly separating earlier in the year.
Billi and Andy got engaged in 2014 before marrying in 2022 and share three children. Billi also cares for Andy’s two other children who he had from a previous relationship.
