Andy Carroll Confirms Sexual Assault by BBC Dance Coach

Ex-Premier League star Andy Carroll has confirmed he was sexually assaulted by Kevin Adams, a dance coach who appeared on the BBC show Fame Academy. Adams, now 59, was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court and sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2023.

Adams served as a coach on the BBC1 talent show Fame Academy in 2002 and also appeared on Strictly It Takes Two in 2021. The striker, 37, revealed the name of his attacker after learning that Adams' name appeared in publicly available court documents.

"Now that Kevin Adams has been named in court documents as my abuser, I can confirm it," Carroll told The Sun on Sunday. "Hopefully now I can finally start to put this chapter behind me. This had a devastating impact on my life and loved ones."

Carroll, who currently plays for National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge and serves as assistant manager, detailed the assault in his new book, "Owning It." He stated that the traumatic event occurred several years ago, but he only decided to include it in the book at the last minute after extensive discussions with his publisher.

In his book, 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." He described waking up after having drinks to find Adams attempting to sexually assault him. Carroll reported that he "smack[ed] him as hard as [he] can" and dragged Adams out of his home onto the driveway. He then called the police.

Adams was found guilty of sexual offenses and imprisoned. He was also placed on the Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where Carroll lived. During the trial, Adams attempted to claim he had been assaulted by Carroll, but the judge rejected this defense.

Carroll shared on Instagram that he has received numerous messages of support from other male victims of sexual assault since speaking out. "Since speaking out, so many men have messaged me about their own experiences," he wrote. "That has been incredibly powerful and has reminded me just how important it is that men feel able to talk when they're ready."

He emphasized the importance of victims speaking out on their own terms, stating, "We should be able to decide how much we share, when we share it and whether or not we name the person responsible. Naming a perpetrator can have consequences for the victim too, emotionally and personally. For me, taking back control means being able to tell my story in the way that feels right for me, without feeling pressured to give people more than I'm ready to give."

Carroll described the court case as "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous," noting that the trial lasted two years and that he began crying uncontrollably when the police informed him of the guilty verdict. He added, "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."

Carroll and his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale, discussed whether to include the assault in his book. He ultimately decided that sharing his story would be "worth it" if it helped others.

In a separate legal matter, Carroll recently pleaded not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order. He is due to stand trial in January. Carroll and his ex-wife, reality TV star Billi Mucklow, confirmed their split in September 2024 after 11 years together.