Former England star Andy Carroll appeared in court today accused of breaching a court order for the second time by contacting his ex-wife .

The striker is said to have broken the terms of the non-molestation order put in place for reality star Billi Mucklow.

Carroll, 37, appeared in the dock at Basildon Magistrates Court wearing a brown jacket, grey trousers, and white and grey sneakers.

He was calm throughout the short hearing and spoke to confirm his name, age and addresses, as well as plead not guilty to the offence.

Prosecutor, Erin Peck said that the alleged breach on August 9 last year 'did cause significant distress' to former The Only Way is Essex star Ms Mucklow.

Court papers had said the breach allegedly took place in the Essex town of Epping.

The couple used to share a luxury mansion there, considered one of the most sought after spots in the county.

Representing Carroll, Nick Titchener told the court that another 'related' case dealing with a similar breach relating to an alleged incident in March last year was already in progress. 

Carroll - who has played for a string of top teams including Newcastle Utd and Liverpool - appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court via videolink in March this year.

On that occasion he also pleaded not guilty to breaching the non-molestation order, which was imposed in October 2024 by the family court at Chelmsford Justice Centre.

The court was told at the earlier hearing that he was accused of making repeated mobile phone and FaceTime Audio calls to Ms Mucklow.

Chairman of the Bench Peter Hoche told the court today that the new case could remain in the magistrates court as the minimum sentence for the offence was within their powers.

But Carroll opted to have the case heard at Basildon Crown Court. 

Mr Hoche said: 'You've opted for crown court. There will be a pre-trial preparation hearing on July 10.'

Carroll said: 'Thank you very much, cheers.' 

The defendant, who currently plays for National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge, played nine matches for England between 2010 and 2012, scoring twice, including one goal at Euro 2012.

He began his professional career with Newcastle United before transferring to Liverpool for £35 million in 2011, later playing for West Ham, Reading and West Brom among other teams.

Ms Mucklow appeared on TOWIE between 2011 and 2013 before briefly returning in 2018.