Inside Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale's ‘doomed relationship' as friends label them a ‘holiday romance that won't last'
POSING in swimwear in sun-soaked social media snaps, they look like the ultimate loved-up celebrity couple.
But friends fear the final whistle could soon be blown on Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale 's romance.
9
9
9
9
The former England footballer, 36, is swapping escargots for England and moving back home to be closer to his five children - and insiders close to the pair say they may not survive the transition.
While he's been playing football in France, and frolicking with make-up artist to the stars Lou, 41, off the pitch, Andy's ex, former Towie star Billi Mucklow, 37, has been looking after their three young kids, plus his two teenage children from a previous relationship, back in the UK.
A source said: 'There are genuine fears that Andy and Lou won't last when they return to the UK.
"Their relationship has effectively been a big holiday romance, and they are going to be seriously tested when returning to reality.
"Andy has clearly made it his priority to be closer to his children.
"While that is admirable, things might not be the same for him and fun-loving Lou back in the UK."
During Andy's time in France, he and Lou - who Andy affectionately calls his "T Total" because she doesn't drink - have shared photos galore of their sun-kissed life.
In April, they headed to Magaluf for a one-day "loliday", as Lou described it.
Then, following the end of Bordeaux's season, Andy - once the most expensive footballer in British history, after joining Liverpool for £35 million in 2011 - whisked Lou off to Ibiza in May.
An insider added: "It very much looks like a holiday romance from the outside and everyone knows what happens to those when the sun stops shining.
Andy Carroll quizzed by cops twice after bust-ups with girlfriend at packed restaurant and hotel during Greek holiday
'Lou loves travel and working as an influencer means she's always here, there and everywhere.
"It's very much up in the air about how things will actually work for them once they are home."
COUPLE CLASH
In fact, cracks have already started appearing between Andy and Lou after he was quizzed by the police twice over bust-ups with her during a break on the Greek party island of Mykonos earlier this month.
After the first clash, a worker at restaurant Nikolus Tavern said: 'He seemed very drunk and furious with his partner.
'He was using very bad words. It was improper behaviour. The woman looked very upset.'
Following a chat with cops, during which Andy was 'very calm', the striker returned to Lou.
However, hours later officers escorted him to a local police station for questioning after reports of damage to the couple's room at a £500-a-night boutique hotel.
A hotel worker confirmed the incident, telling The Sun on Sunday: 'Yes, they were staying here. He broke the door.'
Carroll wasn't arrested, and it's understood no further action was taken, but Lou stayed elsewhere that night, checking into celebrity hotspot Soho Roc House private members' club.
One British holidaymaker spotted the pair engaged in a bust-up and claimed he heard the former Liverpool striker shout at her: 'I'm done with us!'
LOU'S LOVE
Before Andy, Lou's last romance was with SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jay Morton.
The former soldier, 41, and the make-up artist were first spotted looking loved-up at Coachella Music Festival in April 2022, but by January 2023 they had gone their separate ways and Lou wiped all trace of Jay from her social media.
She wrote on Instagram at the time: 'No 2022 dump from me because it was the most horrible year of my life. Be kind and look after people.'
Lou's social media has often been a happy hunting ground for her.
The star previously told how she has found guys on Instagram, and said it was an 'easy' way to meet men.
When speaking about social media hook-ups in a 2022 episode of podcast Sex, Lies & DM Slides, she said: 'It's just men, isn't it? I do think there is a bit of a thing going on with the blue ticks.
"Like, they just go in with it and it's a bit of a, 'Are you DTF [down to f**k]?' But without saying that.
'It's not as literal as that, but you genuinely can, if you want to, have sex, probably go and meet someone off Towie quite quickly.'
Nomadic lifestyle
Asked if she's been messaging anyone from Towie, she said: 'Loads of them. Not this year, but I have in the past. I'm not saying.
"There is a little world going on, and it's quite easy to go and meet someone from Instagram.
"I generally find just talking on Instagram is better for dating. I meet more blokes that way."
Lou is also no stranger to membership-based dating app Raya, and previously admitted she would 'always connect' with people she 'already knows a little bit'.
She added: 'So it's really easy to start chatting.'
Lou - who first shot to fame as One Direction 's make-up artist, and remains close pals with Harry Styles - has a daughter, Lux Atkin, 13, with musician Tom Atkin, 40.
Lux - @Baby Lux on her 23,000-follower Instagram account - was previously dubbed 'One Direction's youngest fan', after she was often pictured with the Story Of My Life hitmakers.
Lou led a nomadic lifestyle while on tour with the boyband, and that has continued throughout her life.
MARRIAGE MATERIAL?
In May, Andy's friends were convinced he was planning to pop the question to Lou - as soon as his divorce from Billi was finalised.
A friend told The Sun on Sunday at the time: 'Lou is already telling her mates they have discussed marriage, and Andy thinks he's met his soulmate.
"Their connection is so strong. He has never felt like this before.
'He definitely wants to put a ring on it. It's been a whirlwind romance for both of them.
"But they're playing for keeps."
Meanwhile, Andy and Billi are still thrashing out their divorce, after separating in September 2024 - with he and Lou revealing their romance weeks later.
Billi recently showed Andy just what he is missing when she shared several stunning bikini pictures of her own on Instagram, during a break in Mallorca.
She added the caption: 'Back To My Happy Place."
But will a return to England be a happy place for Andy and Lou?
I fell out of love with everything. I was very depressed. I wouldn't go out of the house, I had to wear a hat if I did. I hated everything and everybody
Andy Carroll
The footballer recently admitted his final years in England were a "nightmare", before he was offered an escape route from French side Amiens in 2023, and then signed for fourth-tier club Bordeaux in 2024.
Speaking to The Independent in November, he said: "I fell out of love with everything. I was very depressed. I wouldn't go out of the house, I had to wear a hat if I did. I hated everything and everybody."
Andy also told how he has enjoyed a much 'easier' and 'simpler life' in France.
Speaking about fame having its "dark sides", he said: "In France I live a much easier, simpler life.
'People recognise me in the street but respect me.
"That's key to my happiness."
Whether Lou can help deliver Andy's happiness goal remains to be seen… but their romance could be heading into injury time.
9
9
9
9
9
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
20 minutes ago
- Times
In buyers' market art is in the sale, just look at Brighton (not United)
The key to poker is understanding the value of what is in your hand. In the winter transfer window of 2023, when Chelsea offered £55million for Moisés Caicedo, Brighton & Hove Albion said 'no'. They said the same again when Arsenal followed with a £60million bid, and still no when they raised it to £70million. From the outside, there was consternation. Danny Murphy told talkSPORT Brighton's stance was 'ridiculous' and 'for £70million I would have driven Caicedo there'. But when the summer window opened and Chelsea returned with offers of £60million, then £70million and then £80million, Brighton's answers remained emphatic: no, no, and no again. It was another no when Manchester United entered the running and no when Chelsea suddenly raised the ante and went all the way to the £100million mark. At last, when Liverpool mooted £111million, Brighton accepted a bid — and yet still there were cards to play. Chelsea returned to the table with £115million and finally, in August 2023, Caicedo was on his way. Though not before Brighton, who had paid only £4million for the Ecuadorian midfielder 18 months previously, managed to insert a sell-on clause, guaranteeing a healthy slice of any transfer fee Chelsea get for Caicedo in future, into the deal. Brighton's owner, Tony Bloom, was known as 'The Lizard' during his professional poker career and there may be no one better in the game for the cold-blooded execution of player sales. There are a thousand books and courses on the art of selling but it is the most undervalued, unperfected element in English clubs' transfer operations; the overlooked secret of player trading. Bloom and Brighton are outliers. According to a senior figure in the recruitment department of a top Premier League club: 'Everyone invests loads and loads of money on scouting, talent ID, data, coaching, blah, blah, but very little on the sales side of things. There is no strategy. What's the plan when clubs want to sell a player? Sit there saying, 'I hope someone comes in for him.' ' The situation is made all the more curious by the fact that in this age of Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and inflated fees — which must be funded somehow — an ability to raise money through sales has never been more important. So many Premier League clubs, in this window, find their plans dependent on how effectively, and lucratively, they can offload players. United are the most obvious example, but Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and many others need to offload players. It doesn't excite fans, who focus on the shiny new stars arriving, but getting rid of the right ones, at the right prices, can be as crucial as signing well. United, in straightened times and in the straitjacket of PSR, are trying to fund a squad makeover to fit Ruben Amorim's style. Having spent £62.5million on Matheus Cunha and had two bids — the latest for £55million plus £7.5million in add-ons — rejected for Bryan Mbeumo, they want a striker, wingback, midfielder and goalkeeper but whether they recruit in all those positions will depend on what funds they can realise from offloading their unwanted players, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho. All bar Garnacho are on wages that severely restrict which clubs can afford them, and United's new director of football, Jason Wilcox, has the added headache of Amorim and/or those players themselves making clear it is time for them to leave United, taking away any chance of hard-balling would-be buyers. Arsenal are close to announcing deals for Martín Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga and are working on the signing of Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia — all for sensible fees. Yet Mikel Arteta's main requirement is a new striker, and with targets Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko priced in excess of £60million, the club are looking to raise about £50million from sales. They would listen to offers for Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Reiss Nelson and perhaps even Gabriel Martinelli. With their income slashed by failing to reach the Champions League, Aston Villa are looking to reduce player costs by £80million this summer. They have sold cleverly in the past — getting €188million (£160million) for Jhon Durán, Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz last season — and will have to sell smartly again, ideally starting before the PSR 2024-25 accounting deadline of midnight Monday. Pep Guardiola has threatened to quit if City don't reduce the size of his squad, and Jack Grealish is the most eye-catching item in their shop window. Guardiola may benefit from having a new sporting director, Hugo Viana, whose experience (gained at Sporting Lisbon) is within a player-trading model as opposed to the departing Txiki Begiristain, one of the best sporting directors of all time but who has only worked at dominant clubs in periods where there was little emphasis on sales. After the £40million signing of Milos Kerkez pushed their summer spending beyond £200million, Liverpool are not finished recruiting but need to balance their expenditure with more sales on top of the £24million already received for Caoimhin Kelleher, Nat Phillips and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Jarell Quansah is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen for £35million after the European Under-21 Championship and Tyler Morton, also excelling at the tournament, is another asset they will seek to realise. Talks are continuing with Napoli over a deal to sell Darwin Núñez, while Federico Chiesa, who interests several Serie A clubs, is also likely to be sold. Ideally, with Kerkez aboard, the Liverpool would raise funds by disposing of a left back. Andrew Robertson is considering interest from Atletico Madrid but may stay for the final year of his contract, though, and Kostas Tsimikas is happy in a back-up role. A 'Greek Scouser' who describes Liverpool as 'the Broadway of football' may be hard to shift. The importance of sales was laid out at the end of the previous summer transfer window by the online football finance expert Swiss Ramble. From 2022-24, Brighton's gross spending on players (£411million) exceeded that of Liverpool, Newcastle United, Villa and — by a significant margin — the outlays of supposed peer clubs such as Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace. But their net spend? It was just £20million. They had traded their squad upwards — readying it to finish a club-record eighth in 2024-25 — for less than £7million per season, thanks to sales. The analysis showed Chelsea and City to have been by far the period's biggest sellers. The massive recruitment programmes undergone by both would have been impossible without recouping through player disposals. The pressure on Arsenal, United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle was also clear in the figures. Those clubs' relatively low sales left them with big net spends. Arsenal's gross outlay on players was only £50million more than City's over a five-year period, but their net spend was £480million more. The problems that stores up perhaps explain why City can now spend with abandon to help Guardiola rebuild while Arteta is still waiting for his striker. Everton were the only club to make a transfer profit from 2020-24, showing how selling was fundamental to the club's very survival during the stricken final years of Farhad Moshiri's ownership. But selling is not just about how much you make, it's about which goods you are willing to part with, and though City raised £499million by offloading players from 2022-24 it was a period where they parted with talents including Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap, James Trafford and Julián Alvarez. None look like wise disposals now. There are different ways of measuring how 'good' a player sale is. One is to compare at the price achieved to market value and, using Transfermarkt's calculations, the best business of last summer included Newcastle realising £22.2million more than market value when selling Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth achieving £20.8million more when selling Dominic Solanke to Tottenham and Wolves extracting £13.2million more for Max Kilman than the market said he was worth. However, another way is to look at the value of the player sold a year down the line. The blossoming of Anderson at Forest suggests Newcastle actually undervalued him. On the other hand the Kilman deal looks even better from Wolves' point of view — 12 months on he is now worth £19.2million less than West Ham paid for him. City selling Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £64million seems a bad deal by both measures. The price was £13million below the Argentina forward's market value at the time and now it is £21.4million below his market value — albeit add-ons included in the deal may allow City to recoup up to £17million. United fare dreadfully in the analysis. They have made 14 significant sales in the past three seasons, 11 of whom now valued higher than the fees received for them, with Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga and Álvaro Carreras worth a combined £63million more. To value players, Brighton use the unique information provided by Jamestown Analytics, an offshoot of Bloom's betting data company, Starlizard. They stick to those valuations and ignore distractions: back in January 2023, Caicedo agitated to go, even posting a plea to leave on Instagram. Brighton did not go to war with their asset but calmly asked him to stay away from training until the transfer window closed and then extended his contract, to further increase his value. Only selling when a replacement has been signed or lined up is also the Brighton way. Marc Cucurella was replaced by Pervis Estupiñán, Robert Sánchez by Bart Verbruggen and Leandro Trossard by João Pedro. Caicedo himself was the replacement for Yves Bissouma and on the same day he signed for Chelsea, Brighton entered talks with Lille for his replacement, Carlos Baleba. Now Baleba, 21, is projected to be a future £100million sale but a club who made gentle inquiries came away with the impression that Brighton are unlikely to let him go until next season, because his replacement has not been identified yet. Liverpool's headaches are eased by having Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to oversee trading. Hughes sold well at Bournemouth and squeezing €10million from Real Madrid for the last month of Alexander-Arnold's contract was remarkable even by Edwards's standards. During the building phase of the modern Liverpool, as sporting director Edwards raised £396million from sales from 2014-17 — enabling the recruitment of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, Joël Matip, Gini Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez and Robertson on a pretty much obscene £58million net spend. There were many coups, like persuading Bournemouth to spend a club record £15million on Jordon Ibe, and Leicester £12.5million on Danny Ward, but none beat getting Barcelona to not just lavish £142million on Philippe Coutinho but agree a clause meaning they would pay a €100million (then £89million) premium in addition to any transfer fee if they signed a Liverpool player over the next 2½ seasons. It would prove the deterrent to Barça targeting Salah and Van Dijk. Selling, like buying in the transfer market, depends on relationships with clubs, agents and players; on planning ahead and having the right handle on valuations. 'It's not rocket science,' said the senior recruiter. 'I just think it's a cultural psyche because nearly everyone in England sees winning as points but a handful of clubs like Brighton rightly see winning as selling.' His suggestion is that clubs should have player sales specialists and, the moment a player signs, already have a plan for when they might be sold and involve that player and their agent in the process. A former sporting director, now working as an agent, agrees the issue is cultural. 'Managers in England often don't want to sell because there is a mindset of holding on to your assets. Fans get pissed off when you sell someone good and clubs have egos — for example Man United don't want to sell to Real Madrid and feel they are further down the food chain.' He remembers taking a player to a club in Serie A, where selling is embedded in a culture of player trading. As his client was signing the contract and they were posing for pictures he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the sporting director. 'Now your job is to get English clubs to watch him,' the guy said, 'so we can sell.'
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tom Brady's Birmingham join transfer race for Nottingham Forest midfielder but will have to stump up £8million
NOTTINGHAM FOREST have set their price for in-demand midfielder Lewis O'Brien amid interest from a slew of Championship clubs. Southampton, Hull and Tom Brady-owned Birmingham City are all keen on the 26-year-old this summer. 2 Forest want £8million O'Brien, a figure that could cool the interest of those monitoring him. O'Brien shone on loan at Swansea last season, where he made 16 Championship appearances after making the switch in the winter window. But his eye-catching performances may have worked against him as Forest now chase a bigger fee big fee. Hull have already launched an approach at £5m and may up their offer to land him. O'Brien is in the last year of his deal at Forest having joined the club back in 2022. His time at The City Ground has been a frustrating one, making just 17 first-team appearances since arriving from Huddersfield Town. Instead, O'Brien has had to settle for minutes elsewhere - heading on loan to four separate clubs since his move. Those temporary switches have included spells in the Championship with Middlesbrough and Swansea, as well as two forays to the USA with MLS clubs LA FC and DC United. O'Brien left the door open for a return to Swansea at the end of last season. He said: "I have really enjoyed my time here. It's never out of the question [returning], but sometimes it's not in my hands, especially having to go back to my parent club. "We will see what the summer holds. It's never say never really." Meanwhile Swans manager Alan Sheehan also made it clear he would love O'Brien back in South Wales. He said: "The effect he has had on the place, he has been exceptional. I cannot speak highly enough about him and I make no secret of that. "If he is available, should you try to re-sign him? I think that's quite an obvious answer." 2
Telegraph
21 minutes ago
- Telegraph
‘I respect them and I support their message': How Kneecap won over Glastonbury's masses
This was a day of political pantomime at Glastonbury, a day when the usual chilled out vibes were replaced by something altogether more febrile and excitable. The chants of 'Free Palestine' that have peppered the site over the last 48 hours came to a head during three sets on the West Holts stage: from British singer Nilüfer Yanya, London hip hop duo Bob Vylan and the folk devils du jour, Irish hip hop band Kneecap. Palestinian flags made up around half the banners at these gigs, and they pepper the entire festival too. In sweltering heat, Yanya's set closed with a backdrop that read 'More action, less noise, free Palestine' (the exhausted lunchtime crowd let out a feeble whoop), while Bob Vylan blasted execs in the music industry who supported Isreal. Vylan's set culminated in him leading the chant 'Kill the IDF', supported by a full-throated crowd, even if every audience member didn't partake. But the heat rose even further with Kneecap, whose pro-Palestinian stance and politicised, cartoony rap drew one of the biggest crowds the West Holts – Glastonbury's third biggest stage – has ever seen, and certainly at 4pm. This is my 22 nd time at this event and I can't recall more anticipation over a mid-afternoon act. Tens of thousands of people were crammed onto this tiny patch of Somerset grass, a crowd so big that organisers closed the field an hour before they came on. In the shadow of Glastonbury Tor, orange and green flares blazed as chants of 'Free Palestine' and 'Free Mo Chara' (the latter a reference to the band's rapper who is alleged to have displayed a flag in support of Hezbollah) echoed around the Vale of Avalon. It's unlikely that residents of the sweetly bucolic nearby village of Pilton have ever heard anything like it. 'I respect them and I support their message, and that's why I'm here,' says Sian, 27, who has seen the band before and says they're 'amazing'. 'They're controversial but they're trying to spread a message.' Ah yes. The message. Moral panic has swept the nation about this performance, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying it shouldn't happen. Behind the scenes, some big-name execs within the music industry have been lobbying Glastonbury to drop the band. But happen it did, with festival organiser Emily Eavis saying on Wednesday that all performers are 'welcome'. What's more, the whole thing was meant to be filmed by the BBC. 'The BBC's editor is going to have some f---ing job,' said Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, stage name Mó Chara, half way through the set. But that wasn't the case. The live feed was cut, despite the previous band – rock-rap duo Bob Vylan – having their set broadcast. At the time of writing it is not clear whether the BBC will show edited highlights of Kneecap or not. Here's a Kneecap recap. The West Belfast group are Republican hip hop musicians who rap largely in the Irish language and have never hidden their disdain for the British government (they're named after the grim punishment meted out by the IRA). In April, the rappers hit the headlines when they displayed a message at California's Coachella accusing Israel of 'committing genocide against the Palestinian people'. Film then emerged of the band urging people to kill their local MP (they apologised). And earlier this month, member Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara), appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig last year. The 27-year-old was bailed and will next appear in court on August 20 – in a previous statement, his band denied the offence. Chara received a hero's welcome at the Pyramid Stage. Chara's two bandmates – Naoise Ó Cairealláin, known as Móglaí Bap, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, known as DJ Próvaí, a former teacher who also wears a balaclava in the colours of the Irish tricolour – bounded around in the broiling heat, crowd-surfing, encouraging a mosh pit and generally stoking the cauldron of chaos. The trio thanked the organising Eavis family for standing by them amid pressure to cancel the show. I lost count of the number of times chants of 'F--- Keir Starmer' and 'Free Palestine' rang out. The crowd was crushingly tight to be in. There was never a sense that things could tip into violence though. The concert was what I'd call an angry celebration. The band were preaching to the converted here. One 26-year-old audience member has snuck away from his friends to watch Kneecap today. 'A lot of them are Jewish, and I have to keep it quiet,' he says. But his motives aren't what you'd expect. His mum runs an Irish centre in Leeds and he picked up the Irish language through his grandfather. Despite their almost-cancellation in the outside world, Kneecap really connect with people. 'You're just a s--- Jeremy Corbyn,' went one chant about Starmer. Kneecap's politics can be something of a joke. Then there's this. The bare faces of the people wearing balaclavas in the audience suggested they weren't even born when the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. To them, shorn of all context, this is dress-up. Cosplay. Riverdance for rebels. And once the concert was over, these same hoards dispersed to watch chart-friendly performers such as Raye, Charli XCX or the Scissor Sisters. Kneecap provided a 'moment' for sure. Fans were happy. Walking out, Vincent Poel, 28, said there was 'exactly the right amount' of politics in the trio's set. But, at the end of the day and after all the noise, this was just entertainment.
