Andy Carroll reveals he was sexually assaulted by male celebrity in his home

Andy Carroll has decided to speak publicly about one of the hardest chapters of his life. The former Liverpool and Newcastle United striker has revealed that he was sexually assaulted in his own home in 2021, an episode he kept private until now and which he details for the first time in his autobiography, ‘Owning It’, released on Thursday. The attacker, a man connected to his then wife's inner circle, stood trial and was sentenced to three years in prison.

• Carroll was attacked in 2021, hours after playing a match for Newcastle United.
• The attacker was an acquaintance of his ex-wife, Billi Mucklow, who invited himself over to watch a boxing match.
• The footballer woke up while the man was trying to perform oral sex on him and threw him out of the house.
• The attacker denied the assault, stood trial and was jailed for three years and placed on the Sex Offender Register.
• Carroll says he decided to include the chapter in his book at the last minute to help other victims.

How the sexual assault on Andy Carroll unfolded at his home

The incident happened in 2021, just a few hours after Carroll had played a game for Newcastle United. According to his account, a friend of his then wife, Billi Mucklow, invited himself to the family home under the pretext of watching a boxing match. From the very beginning, the footballer started feeling uncomfortable around the man.

Carroll writes that after a few drinks he went to bed with a strange feeling, even wondering whether something had been slipped into his drink. The next thing he remembers is waking up while the guest was attempting to perform oral sex on him. He reacted immediately and kicked him out of the house.

The attacker's arrest and the three-year prison sentence

The ordeal did not end with the expulsion. The man tried to get back into the property, and that was when Carroll punched him unconscious. He then called the police and, as he describes in the book, broke down sobbing. The attacker denied the sexual assault and the case went to trial.

Carroll had to testify in court, an experience he describes as humiliating, embarrassing and absolutely horrendous. The defendant was ultimately found guilty of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison. He was also placed on the Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where the footballer lived.

The lasting trauma and his decision to speak out

I would think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football. The trauma of what happened to me has not gone away.

The former England international admits the psychological scars remain. For a long time, the memory of the assault followed him daily and affected his performances on the pitch. Speaking out was not an easy decision: Carroll says he added the chapter to his autobiography at the last minute, after discussing it with his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale.

The 37-year-old striker explains that saying it out loud has been terrifying but also liberating. He believes the experience has shaped the person he is today as much as any of the good moments in his career. His message is clear: if his testimony helps just one person, then telling it will have been worth it.

Andy Carroll's new life at Dagenham & Redbridge

Far from the Premier League spotlight, Carroll currently combines his role as co-owner with playing duties at Dagenham & Redbridge, a club in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. Last season he even briefly served as the team's manager.

His legal calendar, however, still includes another personal matter. The former striker is due to stand trial in January after pleading not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order, having been accused of repeatedly calling his ex-wife.