Former Premier League footballer Stephen Warnock has disclosed that he kept his seizures a secret from Liverpool during his youth due to fears of being released from the club.

The 44-year-old, now a pundit for 5 Live, began his football career in Liverpool’s youth academy and went on to make 67 appearances for the senior team.

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Speaking on 5 Live after an interview with Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks, also a sufferer of epilepsy, Warnock shared his experience with seizures for the first time.

He revealed that he experienced several seizures during his time at Anfield, before eventually “growing out of it”.

“I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried about being released,” Warnock explained. “I thought, ‘if they think I’ve got a condition, they will release me.’ I was anxious about having a seizure on the pitch. There were no triggers for me; I never knew what caused it, and that was what truly scared me.”

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Approximately one in 100 people in the UK are affected by epilepsy, a brain condition.

According to charity Epilepsy Action, epilepsy in children is typically diagnosed after they experience one or more seizures.

While medications can help manage or prevent seizures, they require careful oversight.

Warnock recalls having his first seizure while at school. “I was at a computer when it happened. Then I woke up in a hospital bed, thinking, ‘how did I get here?’. I didn’t recall any of it; it was a complete blackout,” he said. “My friends told me that I had started having a seizure, and an ambulance was called.”

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Feeling embarrassed, he expressed concern that others did not have similar experiences and he was unaware of his condition until that moment.

After experiencing another seizure at home, Warnock underwent CT and MRI scans. “It continued for around three years,” he noted.

Having retired from professional football in 2018, Warnock stated he has not suffered a seizure since the age of 14, although he still worries about a recurrence. “I was fortunate to have grown out of it,” he added. “I didn’t require medication or have to worry about driving or being affected by it in daily life. This is the first time I have truly talked about it.”