When Andy Carroll bought his forever home with his then fiancee Billi Mucklow in 2019, the couple and their children were ecstatic about what the future held.
Dubbed ‘Carroll Castle’, the sprawling Essex mansion was meant to be their ‘happily ever after’ moment: the place where they would bring their third child home, raise their blended family and live out a long, happy marriage.
But the lavish property, which they bought from Sir Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster, has since become a symbol of something very different.
Instead of the backdrop to a fairytale life, the house now sits at the centre of a bitter and increasingly messy divorce battle.
It can be revealed the former Premier League footballer is slashing the price of their mansion in a bid to force a sale and finally bring divorce proceedings to an end.
There is another suspicious reason the 37-year-old is keen to move things along: a second marriage could be on the cards far sooner than anyone expected.
Friends say Andy is desperate to tie the knot with his new girlfriend, celebrity hair stylist Lou Teasdale, but until his divorce from Billi is finalised, wedding plans remain firmly on hold.
Not everyone close to the situation is convinced the whirlwind romance is a wise move.
One source described the relationship as both ‘pathetic’ and ‘embarrassing’, claiming the pair are rushing head-first into marriage.
‘They are totally in love and they are definitely living their best lives,’ the insider said.
‘But it’s all just so embarrassing. Lou keeps on about getting married like they are a pair of teenagers. He is enthralled and so in love with Lou that he will do anything she wants. And while they might be in love now, you wonder how long all of this will last.’
Andy and Billi put their six-bedroom Epping property on the market for £8million last October, after a previous deal collapsed last summer.
They had originally agreed to sell the vast rural estate for £8.5million in June, which would have seen them walk away with a tidy £4.4million profit.
More importantly, it would have allowed the pair at last to draw a line under their marriage after months of bitter rumours and allegations.
But now the asking price has been reduced to £7.5million, just months after the home was re-listed, in what insiders believe is a clear sign Andy is desperate to speed up the process.
Selling could prove a key step in finalising the divorce and very much clearing the path for his future with Lou.
Any lingering doubt about how serious Andy’s new relationship has become was recently laid to rest by Lou herself.
The former One Direction hair stylist openly discussed their plans for the future on the We Need To Talk podcast, even admitting herself she would happily marry the footballer.
But there is one obvious problem. ‘He is still married,’ she explained. ‘I would really like to marry him, yes, but he is still married. I hope that’s not insensitive.’
Lou added the pair have tried to take things slowly, though her comments suggested their feelings for each other are anything but casual.
‘We’ve had to try and take it slow. We’re really in love. He’s got teenage kids and I’ve got a teenage daughter, and he’s got some little ones as well.
‘He has the same outlook as me and I’ve never met a lover like that. I’ve got friends who were just on the same page, but I’ve never had a boyfriend like that. I just found him really refreshing and didn’t think that he would be like he is.’
Andy’s marriage to former Towie star Billi, 38, officially ended in July 2024 after what many friends say had been a turbulent relationship for years.
The pair had been together for more than a decade and became engaged just a year after meeting.
For a time it seemed their relationship was heading towards the fairytale ending they had both hoped for.
But it took eight years before they finally walked down the aisle in a lavish ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire.
And even that wedding very nearly never happened. In the days leading up to the ceremony, Andy jetted to Dubai for a stag do with friends. Soon afterwards, photos emerged showing the footballer passed out in a hotel bed alongside two women.
One of them, Taylor Jane Wilkey, was also pictured posing in a bathroom wearing Andy’s personalised dressing gown.
The images quickly spread across social media and Billi was said to be devastated.
At one point she even removed her £200,000 engagement ring and left their home.
Yet, just days later the couple stunned friends by reconciling and going ahead with the wedding anyway.
But their marriage was over within two years.
‘Billi and I have privately separated earlier this year and we are under way with our divorce proceedings,’ Andy wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.
Since the split, Billi has remained living in the mansion with the couple’s three children, Arlo, Wolf and Marvel Mae.
She also continues to help raise Andy’s two children from a previous relationship, Emilie Rose, 15, and Lucas, 14.
Friends say the situation has not been easy. While Andy has moved on with Lou, Billi has stayed behind in the family home looking after the children and trying to maintain some sense of normality.
Last week the situation took another dramatic turn when Andy pleaded not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order after being accused of repeatedly calling Billi.
Sources familiar with the fallout say the bitter dispute has divided many of the couple’s mutual friends across Essex.
One insider claimed, despite the turmoil, Billi has emerged from the situation changed.
‘Billi has become a much, much nicer person,’ said a friend of the former couple.
‘She has been humbled by it all. She probably realises that he didn’t always make her the nicest person, but now he’s no longer around she has become far more pleasant.’
Although divorce proceedings began in September last year, it is understood the paperwork has still not been finalised.
And while Andy appears keen to move forward with Lou, their relationship has hardly been smooth sailing.
The pair met at Glastonbury shortly after Andy’s split from Billi and went public with their romance just weeks later.
Since then, the couple have been together for around 18 months but have split three separate times during that period.
Friends say alcohol-fuelled arguments have been behind some of the break-ups, with Andy now said to be trying to cut down on drinking to keep the relationship on track.
Despite the ups and downs, the pair appear determined to make it work.
Back in Essex, Billi simply continues to focus on family life.
She regularly posts photos of all five children together on Instagram, presenting a united household despite the ongoing legal drama.
Friends say those close to her have been angered by the situation.
Many feel it is unfair that she remains in the family home caring for the children while Andy travels and enjoys his new relationship.
An insider said the situation feels ‘disrespectful’, but Billi is determined to keep her head high.
Her legal team is currently working through the details of the divorce settlement, and sources say she has no interest in dating anyone new for the time being. For now, her priority is the children.
And the property itself is almost as famous as its owners.
Andy and Billi managed to snap up the Grade II-listed manor house at a bargain price from its previous music legend owner. Sir Rod had originally put the property on the market for £7.5million, but was eventually forced to slash the asking price, selling it for just £4.1million.
The estate is a sports lover’s dream.
It boasts a full-size football pitch, which Sir Rod famously allowed players from Newcastle United, Liverpool and his beloved Celtic to train on during his ownership.
Rod himself originally bought the property for £1.2million in 1986, and the grounds also include a boating lake, tennis courts, a swimming pool and vast gardens.
It also has horse stables, its own pub and an outdoor kitchen, making it one of the most impressive homes in the area.
And the property even has a place in British history.
During the Second World War, former prime minister Winston Churchill is said to have stayed at Wood House while London was being bombed during the Blitz.
For Andy and Billi, however, what was once meant to be the centre of their family life now represents the final obstacle between them and a clean break.
And with Andy keen to move on and marry again, it seems the days of Carroll Castle may finally be numbered.
If the price cut succeeds in attracting a buyer, the sale could finally bring the curtain down on one of Essex’s most dramatic celebrity break-ups.
But whether Andy’s rush towards a second wedding proves to be the happy ending he hopes for, remains to be seen.
