Andy Carroll, the former England striker, is accused of breaching a court order by repeatedly calling his celebrity ex-wife.
Carroll, once a British-record £35m signing for Liverpool, faces trial at crown court for allegedly breaching a non-molestation order against reality TV’s Billi Mucklow.
After surgery on his leg over the weekend, the 37-year-old entered Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on crutches to indicate a not-guilty plea on Wednesday.
The court heard the case related to alleged phone calls made in March last year to Ms Mucklow, who featured on the reality TV show The Only Way is Essex.
Carroll, still playing in English football’s sixth tier, opted to face trial at crown court. A plea and directions hearing will now take place on March 4.
After arriving in a Range Rover and entering the court wearing a plastic support boot, Carroll declined an invitation from District Judge Roy Brown to sit down during the hearing.
A non-molestation order is a UK court injunction, typically to stop an individual from contacting another person. Punishments for breaching the order range from a fine to, in the most severe of cases, up to five years in prison.
Carroll, capped nine times by England and who moved from Newcastle to Liverpool in 2011, was arrested in April after allegedly committing the offence the previous month. District Judge Brown told Carroll he must not contact Ms Mucklow as he adjourned the case until March 4 at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Prosecutor Grace Court told the court that Carroll is accused of “repeatedly” calling Ms Mucklow, named in court as Billi Carroll, on March 11 last year. He was arrested by border police as he flew back from France to the UK the following month.
Carroll gave his address as Hackney, East London, as he appeared before the court shortly after 11am.
The footballer also played for West Ham, Reading and West Bromwich Albion among other clubs. After a spell in France with Amiens and Bordeaux, he signed for National League South club Dagenham and Redbridge in July. He is currently out injured, however, and underwent surgery on ligaments and a lower leg fracture over the weekend.
Carroll and Ms Mucklow announced they were divorcing in the autumn of 2024.
