Former Liverpool defender who made 67 appearances for the club reveals he hid terrifying seizures out of fear of being released
Former Premier League left-back Stephen Warnock has opened up for the first time about suffering a series of frightening seizures during his youth days in Liverpool's academy. Now working as a radio pundit at the age of 44, the ex-defender admitted he concealed the episodes from club staff out of fear that he would be let go.
Academy prospect concealed medical episodes
Warnock decided to share his secret ordeal on BBC Radio 5 Live after listening to an interview with Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks, who lives with epilepsy. Rising through the youth ranks on Merseyside before making 67 senior appearances and scoring once for the Reds, the defender suffered multiple seizures before eventually outgrowing the issue.
Epilepsy affects roughly one in 100 people across the UK, and according to charity Epilepsy Action, the neurological condition in children is frequently identified after a child experiences one or more seizures.
Contract fears kept condition secret
While medications can help control or prevent epileptic episodes if carefully managed, Warnock chose to stay silent at the academy, telling 5 Live: "I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried of being released. 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."
Recalling his very first episode at school before undergoing CT and MRI scans following a subsequent seizure at home, he added: "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.
"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."
Teenage recovery allowed senior career
After winning Coventry City's fans' Player of the Season award on loan in 2003-04, Warnock debuted for Liverpool under Rafael Benitez in August 2004 and played 30 times in 2004-05 - missing the League Cup and Champions League final squads - before making 30 appearances the next term and seven more ahead of a January 2007 move to Blackburn Rovers.
Reflecting on the episodes, the ex-Aston Villa and Leeds United player said: "It went on for three years or so. I was in a fortunate position where I grew out of it. 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."
Lingering anxiety remains despite retirement
Having hung up his boots in 2018, Warnock has not experienced another seizure since the age of 14. Nevertheless, the 44-year-old broadcaster admits that the thought of suffering another unexpected episode still crosses his mind today. By speaking publicly alongside Crooks about his teenage ordeal, the former England full-back hopes to help reduce the stigma surrounding neurological conditions within professional football.
