Carroll's disclosure names TV dance coach Kevin Adams
Former England striker Andy Carroll, who played for Newcastle United and West Ham United, told the Sun that the man who assaulted him in 2021 was TV dance coach Kevin Adams, a revelation he made after disclosing the abuse in his autobiography Owning It, published last month.
Background to the assault
Carroll first revealed the assault in his memoir Owning It, which arrived on shelves last month. The book deliberately omitted the perpetrator’s identity, a decision he says cost him weeks of anxiety with his publisher. He explained, “I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet.”
He added that speaking about the abuse was frightening but ultimately empowering, stating, “Scary to talk about but it’s made me the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff. And if me talking about it helps just one person then good, it will have been worth it.”
Carroll said the attack occurred while he was asleep at his home, the assailant being a friend of his former partner who had arrived to watch a boxing match. At the time Carroll was playing for his boyhood club Newcastle United. He recalled waking, throwing the intruder out, and later striking him unconscious when he tried to return.
Legal outcome and public naming
Carroll decided to name Adams after discovering the attacker’s name in publicly available court documents. He told the Sun that the man who assaulted him in 2021 was TV dance coach Kevin Adams.
Kevin Adams first appeared on the BBC series Fame Academy in 2002 and has featured on various television programmes as a dancer and instructor since the late 1990s. He has not commented publicly since Carroll identified him as the perpetrator.
BBC News understands that Adams was found guilty after a trial in September 2023 and received a custodial sentence the following November at Chelmsford Crown Court. The court handed him a term of 20 months’ imprisonment. The sentencing marked the legal culmination of the 2021 assault.
For anyone affected by sexual abuse, the BBC Action Line offers confidential help and support. The organisation provides resources and advice for survivors seeking assistance.