Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock admits he first had an epileptic seizures but never told the Premier League club as he feared being let go
Stephen Warnock now works as a pundit, but has opened up on his health issues
Stephen Warnock now works as a pundit, but has opened up on his health issues
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Ex-Liverpool star Stephen Warnock admits he was having seizures from a young age at Liverpool - but never made it known as he feared being released.
The full-back came through the ranks at Anfield and played 67 times for his boyhood club. He later went on to play for the likes of Blackburn, Aston Villa and Leeds and now works as a pundit for the BBC.
Epilepsy in a child is often identified when they have one or more seizures, according to charity Epilepsy Action. Medications can reduce or prevent epileptic seizures but they need careful management.
Warnock, now 44, says his first experience of a seizure came when he was at school. He told the BBC: "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.
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"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 experienced another seizure in his house, which meant he was sent for CT and MRI scans, but never wanted to tell Liverpool about his condition due to concerns over what that might mean for his career.
"I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried of being released," he confessed. "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."
Stephen Warnock came through the ranks at Liverpool, but hid his epilepsy from them
Stephen Warnock came through the ranks at Liverpool, but hid his epilepsy from them
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Warnock retired in 2018 and concedes he has not had a seizure since the age of 14 but he still fears it could happen again. "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."
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Having epilepsy is not a barrier to being a successful sportsman. England rugby star Tommy Freeman, who also went on the British & Irish Lions tour in 2025, first started having seizures at 14 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 19. He takes tablets daily to deal with his condition. Last year became the first England player to score a try in all five games of a single Six Nations Championship.