Ex-Liverpool defender reveals secret battle with seizures

Stephen Warnock made 541 appearances as a professional

Former Liverpool defender, Stephen Warnock, has revealed that he hid his seizures from the club as a youngster because he feared being released.

The 44-year-old, who now works as a football pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live, made the revelation while responding to an interview with Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks, who has epilepsy on Sunday.

Warnock, who came through Liverpool’s youth academy and went on to make 67 appearances for the club, said he suffered several seizures during his teenage years but was too frightened to inform the club.

“I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried of being released,” he said.

“Because I was thinking, ‘If they think I’ve got a condition, they will release me’.

“I was worried about being on the pitch and it happens. There were no triggers for me, I never knew what triggered it. That was what petrified me.”

The former defender revealed that his first seizure happened while he was at school, leaving him unconscious before he woke up in hospital.

“I was at a computer and then I woke up in a hospital bed. And I was like, ‘Wow, how have I got here?’. I didn’t remember anything, I completely blacked out,” he recalled.

“My friends told me I started having a seizure. Obviously an ambulance was called and I was taken to a hospital bed.

“I was embarrassed, to be honest, because no-one else had it, no-one knew about it, I didn’t know about it until it happened.”

Warnock said he suffered another seizure at home, after which he underwent CT and MRI scans as doctors tried to establish the cause.

“It went on for three years or so,” he added.

However, the former Liverpool player said he has not experienced another seizure since the age of 14, believing that he eventually grew out of the condition.

“I was in a fortunate position where I grew out of it,” he said.

“I didn’t have to go on medication or worry about driving a car or things like that. It’s the first time I’ve ever really spoken about it.”

Warnock, who retired from professional football in 2018, also had spells with Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Leeds United during his playing career.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects around one in 100 people in the UK. Although medication can help control or prevent seizures, treatment requires careful management.

His revelation highlights the fear and uncertainty young athletes can experience when dealing with medical conditions while pursuing professional sporting careers.