Former England striker Andy Carroll reveals he was sexually assaulted by 'celebrity mate' | OneFootball

The footballer says in his new autobiography that he ‘can’t forget’ the attack in 2021 by a ‘celebrity mate’ of his former partner

Former England striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he was sexually assaulted.

Carroll, 37, detailed the “traumatic” incident in 2021 in his new autobiography Owning It, which was released on Thursday.

He said that he “can’t forget” the attack, for which the perpetrator was given a three-year prison sentence.

The striker said that the incident occurred one evening after he had played a game for Newcastle United, when an unnamed “celebrity mate” of his former partner invited himself round to watch a boxing match.

When Carroll went to bed early after feeling uncomfortable during his interactions with the man, he recalled feeling “light-headed”.

He alleges that he then woke to the visitor attempting to give him oral sex under his bedsheets.

After throwing the man out of the house, he knocked the attacker unconscious when he tried to re-enter.

He then called the police, and found himself “sobbing in (his children’s) nanny’s arms”.

The attacker was subsequently charged with sexual offences by the police, was found guilty, and sentenced to three years in prison.

He was also placed on the National Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where Carroll lived.

The striker recalled testifying in court, which he describes in the book as “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous”.

Andy Carroll was a Newcastle United player when the attack occurred

AFP/Getty

He said that he spent a lot of time with his partner discussing whether to mention the assault in his book, but that if talking about it helps just one person then good “it will have been worth it.”

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.”

Andy Carroll has played for nine clubs across a 20 year professional career, and was the most expensive British footballer in history in 2011, when he joined Liverpool from hometown club Newcastle United for £35 million.

He joined West Ham United in 2013, scoring 33 goals across 126 appearances.

He won nine caps for England scoring two goals, including a memorable header against Sweden during the 2012 European Championships.

Carroll currently plays and acts as assistant manager for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge.