Andy Carroll reveals more 'well known footballers' have come forward after speaking out about sexual assault

Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

Andy Carroll has spoken out about his experience of coming forward about being sexually assaulted, thanking the public for their support.

The 36-year-old former England and Liverpool footballer, who currently plies his trade for Dagenham & Redbridge, spoke out in a memoir Owning It to reveal that he had been sexually assaulted by a male celebrity.

This celebrity was later named in court documents as Kevin Adams, a former Fame Academy dance instructor who was jailed for 20 months in 2023 for the incident.

Carroll has now revealed in an interview with Piers Morgan on his show Uncensored that when he found out Adams’ name was set to be revealed publicly he ‘panicked’ and didn’t know what to do.

He did state that, amongst those who reached out to him, there were several ‘well known footballers’ stating that they went through a similar experience to him and appreciated him speaking out.

The Gateshead born striker explained to Morgan on the TV show that ‘people in football’ told him they’d been through ‘something similar’ involving another man they haven’t spoken out about, explaining: “Well known footballers [have called] and I’ve had a phone call of them saying ‘thanks’ and for me… it was the right thing because one person and I must have had 100s and 100s of messages.”

Morgan claimed that the positive reception was a sign of us living in a ‘better society’, with Carroll agreeing and explained that the comments he’d received from the public reassured him massively. He added: “I've been beating myself up about it, and as soon as I've said it the support that I've received has been massive.

“I think that's the main thing really for me, that if I said that five years ago when it happened, maybe I would have felt a lot better now and then got over it.

"I'm happy with who I am, I'm happy with how I've dealt with it, and I've got the support around me with my partner, my family and friends, and now the public."

The striker stated that the incident was ‘humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous’, saying it was ‘eating him alive’ for a long time.

He said: “There's certain things you can't get over, and I'll never, ever get over that.

"But now I know that people can see who I was then, in that time, and what I've been through and they help me and support me."

Carroll accused Adams of sexually assaulting him in his home after he fell asleep. Adams has yet to speak out since being named in the incident and was convicted of sexual offences.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.