Former England striker Andy Carroll opens up about being sexually assaulted in his new book.
Carroll, 37, recounts the 2021 incident in Owning It, released on Thursday. The assault occurred at his home and was perpetrated by a male celebrity, who was a friend of a former partner of the ex-Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle star. Carroll says he was assaulted while sleeping and awoke to punch the assailant unconscious.
“I was sexually assaulted, there I said it,” Carroll writes. “Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now. Me and [girlfriend] Lou [Teasdale] 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 [me] 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.”
Carroll’s assailant was convicted of the crime and served three years in prison. He remains on the sex offender registry.
A native of Gateshead, Carroll says the attack has left lasting trauma.
“What happened to me affected every facet of my life,” Carroll said. “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.”
Capped nine times by England, Carroll was a member of the Three Lions squad at Euro 2012. He remains an active footballer as a player-assistant manager with sixth-tier Dagenham & Redbridge. Carroll has made six appearances this season.
