Andy Carroll discloses 2021 sexual assault by acquaintance in new autobiography

Revelation in autobiography

The 37-year-old former England forward Andy Carroll revealed that he was sexually assaulted at his home in 2021. The disclosure appears in his autobiography, titled Owning It, published on 24 September 2026. Carroll made the decision to include the account late in the publishing process after discussions with his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale. He noted that only a very small circle of people, including his former partner and her family, were previously aware of the attack.

“I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. 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.”

The night of the attack

The assault occurred following a Newcastle United home fixture during Carroll's second spell with the club. An unnamed male celebrity acquaintance of Carroll's former wife, Billi Mucklow, invited himself to the residence to watch a televised boxing match. Carroll stated that the visitor prepared drinks in the kitchen, after which the footballer felt light-headed and went to bed early, questioning whether his beverage had been spiked. Carroll woke later in the night to find the man under the bedsheets attempting to perform oral sex on him. After physically ejecting the man from the house, Carroll struck him unconscious when the intruder attempted to re-enter, dragged him onto the driveway, locked the doors, and contacted police while in distress with his children's nanny.

Trial and criminal conviction

The assailant denied the allegations, leading to a two-year judicial process during which Carroll provided testimony in court. The trial concluded with the defendant being convicted of sexual offences. A judge sentenced the man to three years in prison, placed him on the Sex Offender Register, and imposed an exclusion order barring him from entering the village where Carroll lived. The footballer stated that recounting the events in court was deeply distressing, and the psychological effects lingered long after the verdict.

“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.”

Career context and ongoing proceedings

Carroll earned nine caps for England between 2010 and 2012, featuring in the Euro 2012 squad, and represented nine clubs across a 20-year professional career. He became Britain's most expensive footballer in 2011 upon moving from Newcastle United to Liverpool for £35 million, later scoring 33 goals in 126 appearances for West Ham United. Carroll currently co-owns and plays for National League South side Dagenham and Redbridge, where he also had a spell as manager last season. In March 2026, he pleaded not guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to charges of breaching a non-molestation order concerning his former wife, with a trial scheduled for January 2027.