Ex-England footballer Andy Carroll reveals he was sexually assaulted in ‘traumatic’ attack | Football

Former England, Liverpool and Newcastle footballer Andy Carroll has bravely opened about his trauma after being sexually assaulted ‘a few years ago’.

In his new autobiography entitled ‘Owning It: In My Own Words’, Carroll revealed that ‘only a few’ of his loved ones were aware of the attack prior to the release of the book this week.

The 37-year-old even came close to leaving out his account of the experience before a series of conversations with his partner, Lou Teasdale, convinced him to include details ‘at the very last minute’.

He hopes his courageous decision to come forward will help others to deal with the potential repercussions of similarly harrowing ordeals they may have endured in their lives.

Carroll, who won nine caps for the Three Lions between 2010 and 2012, wrote: ‘Other things I’d quite like to forget but can’t…

‘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 said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now.

‘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.’

Carroll now plays for and serves as the assistant manager of National League South outfit Dagenham & Redbridge, having returned to English football from a three-year spell in France with Amiens and Bordeaux.

The veteran centre-forward’s autobiography is a candid account of his life both on and off the pitch, from his early days with boyhood side Newcastle to his latter years with the likes of West Brom and Reading.

Carroll makes no bones about the fact he perhaps ‘had more fun than your average’ professional footballer in the book, detailing boozy nights at strip clubs and lavish holidays when raking in wages in excess of £200,000-a-week.

‘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,’ he added.

‘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.

‘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.

‘A well-known footballer spending time in local establishments was bound to attract trouble.’

More to follow.

MORE: Why is the international break three weeks long? England’s four fixtures explained

MORE: ‘He’s got the hump with Tuchel’ – Chelsea and England star accused of faking injury

MORE: Liverpool players ‘stopped caring about football’ after Diogo Jota death, admits Andy Robertson