Former England international Andy Carroll has spoken publicly for the first time about being sexually assaulted by a man in 2021, revealing the traumatic experience in his new autobiography, Owning It.The 37-year-old was granted automatic anonymity as the victim of a sexual assault, but has now chosen to disclose what happened. The incident occurred at his home during his second spell at boyhood club Newcastle United and ultimately resulted in the perpetrator receiving a three-year prison sentence.Carroll, who is now a player and co-owner of non-league side Dagenham & Redbridge, explained that he only decided to write about the ordeal "at the very last minute", after lengthy conversations with his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale.🚨 BREAKING: Former England and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has revealed he was sexually assaulted in 2021.The attacker was later convicted of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison.Carroll has opened up about the traumatic experience in his new… pic.twitter.com/Sizy1M55sl— Speedline (@speedlne) September 24, 2026 t>At the time, a friend of his former partner, who was away, had visited Carroll's house to watch a boxing match and was due to stay the night. According to Carroll, the assault happened while he was asleep. He subsequently forced the man out of his home and knocked him unconscious when he attempted to come back inside.The former Liverpool and West Ham striker then contacted the police, describing himself as "sobbing" in the arms of his children's nanny. The unnamed man was later convicted of sexual offences and placed on the sex offender register.Carroll gave evidence during the court proceedings, describing the experience as "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous".##EDITORS_CHOICE##In his autobiography, Carroll 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. 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, who represented England nine times, also opened up about the lasting impact the assault had on his life, writing: "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."The striker joined Dagenham & Redbridge in July 2025 and has since featured six times in the National League South this season.##NAJAVA_MECA_9980414##
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