Andy Carroll names Kevin Adams as man jailed for sexually assaulting him

Former England footballer Andy Carroll has named Kevin Adams as the man who was jailed for sexually assaulting him in 2021. Carroll first wrote about the attack in his recent autobiography without identifying the attacker beyond describing him as a male celebrity. He has now named Adams after discovering that his identity was already public in court documents.

Carroll says the assault happened while he was asleep at the home he shared with his then partner, Billi Mucklow, during his second spell at Newcastle United. She was away at the time, and the attacker was a friend of hers who was staying over. Carroll says he woke to find Adams sexually assaulting him. He threw him out of the house and knocked him unconscious when he tried to get back in.

Adams was a dance coach on the talent show Fame Academy in 2002 and more recently appeared on Strictly It Takes Two. He was convicted of sexual assault in 2023. He was jailed and placed on the sex offender's register.

Carroll, who became what was then the most expensive player in English football history when Liverpool signed him for £35 million in 2011, is now player and assistant manager at non-league Dagenham and Redbridge. In the book, he said he wrote about the assault at the last minute after discussing it with his girlfriend. He said the trauma has not gone away and that he is still coping with it every day by owning what happened rather than trying to bury it. Giving evidence at the trial, he said, was horrendous.

A charity that works with survivors of sexual abuse praised his bravery. It said his decision to speak out was likely to lead to an increase in calls from men, and described it as effectively saying 'Me too'. Carroll was due to attend a book signing and Q&A at his club tonight, but the event was cancelled earlier today.