Andy Carroll reveals he was sexually assaulted in autobiography

Andy Carroll has revealed in his autobiography, Owning It, that he was sexually assaulted a few years ago. The book was published on Thursday.

"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," the former England striker wrote. "I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now."

Carroll, 37, said he spent a long time discussing with his partner, Lou Teasdale, whether to include it. "I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet," he wrote.

The Mirror reports that the assault took place in 2021 and that the man responsible was later jailed for three years. According to the paper, it happened on the evening after Carroll had played for Newcastle. Metro, which also covered the book, gives no date. Neither report says how the case was dealt with beyond the sentence.

"Scary to talk about but it's made the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff," Carroll wrote. "And if me talking about it helps just one person then good it will have been worth it."

Carroll won nine caps for England between 2010 and 2012 and also played for Liverpool. He now plays for Dagenham and Redbridge.

Publication of the book puts an account that only a few people knew into the public domain, on Carroll's own terms. If it draws other people to speak about similar experiences, that would be the outcome he says he hoped for.