Andy Carroll Reveals Horrific Life Experience: A Victim of Sexual Assault

In his autobiography, "Owning It," Carroll details that the assault occurred at his home after he invited a man over to watch a boxing match on television.

The perpetrator, a friend of Carroll's former partner, was later sentenced to three years in prison. Carroll, 37, currently plays for and co-owns lower-league club Dagenham and Redbridge. The incident remained private as he was automatically granted anonymity as a victim of sexual assault.

The incident took place while Carroll was asleep. After the man attempted to re-enter the house, Carroll ejected him and struck him. In the book, he openly admits: "I was sexually assaulted, I've said it now. It's terrifying to think about, and only a few people knew about it before."

The decision to include this story in the book was a last-minute one, following discussions with his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale. "Lou and I had a long discussion about whether to put it in the book or not. I avoided my publisher for so long that he probably thought I had stage fright," Carroll confessed.

He added that speaking about it was frightening, but the experience shaped him just as much as all the good things in his life. "If my story helps even one person, it will be worth it," the footballer stated.

Testifying in court, where the attacker was found guilty and placed on the sex offenders register, was for Carroll a "humiliating, embarrassing, and absolutely dreadful" experience.

"What happened to me affected every aspect of my life. I thought about it every day, which made it difficult to focus on anything else, including football. The trauma from this experience has not faded," he concluded.