I was sexually assaulted in 2021, says Ex-England striker Andy Carroll

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Former England international Andy Carroll has disclosed that he was sexually assaulted at his home in 2021.

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The 37-year-old shared the details in his newly released autobiography Owning It as reported by BBC Sport on Thursday.

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Carroll, who was automatically entitled to anonymity as a victim of sexual assault, chose to waive that right and make the incident public.

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The assault occurred during his second spell at Newcastle United.

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A friend of his then-partner visited Carroll’s home to watch a boxing match and planned to stay overnight.

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Carroll said the attack happened while he was asleep.

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He threw the man out of the house and knocked him unconscious when the man attempted to re-enter.

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He then called the police and was left sobbing in the arms of his children’s nanny.

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The perpetrator was later convicted of sexual offences, sentenced to three years in prison and placed on the sex offenders’ register.

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Carroll gave evidence in court, describing the process as “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous”.

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Carroll, who is now a player and co-owner at non-league side Dagenham & Redbridge, said he only decided to include the episode in his book “at the very last minute” after discussions with his girlfriend Lou Teasdale.

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In the book he wrote: “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.

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“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.”

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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.”

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Carroll won nine caps for England and also played in the Premier League for Liverpool and West Ham United.

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