Ex-England player Carroll names attacker as TV dance coach

What the report says

Former England striker Andy Carroll has publicly named the man he says sexually assaulted him in 2021, telling the Sun that the attacker was TV dance coach Kevin Adams. The BBC’s report says Carroll first described the assault in his autobiography, *Owning It*, published last month, but had not identified Adams in the book.

According to the BBC, Adams was convicted after a trial in September 2023 and later received a 20-month custodial sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court the following November. Adams had appeared on BBC television’s *Fame Academy* in 2002 and also worked on other TV programmes as a dancer or instructor. The report says he has not commented publicly since Carroll named him.

Carroll’s account, as previously reported by the BBC, says the assault happened while he was asleep at home, when a friend of his former partner visited to watch a boxing match. Carroll said he woke during the attack, forced the man out, and later knocked him unconscious when he tried to come back inside. He was playing for Newcastle United at the time.

The publication of Carroll’s naming of Adams adds fresh public attention to a case that had already progressed through the courts. More broadly, the story reflects how some survivors choose to speak openly after legal proceedings are complete, often to reclaim control of their experiences and encourage others to seek help.