We hated Andy Carroll - he was HORRIBLE: Lou Teasdale's friends tell KATIE HIND every poisonous detail of a break-up that's the talk of Essex, reveal appalling 'last straw' and spill 'perfect f*** you' from wife he left for her - suong

When Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale were packing for Glastonbury earlier this summer, they were looking forward to a joyous week surrounded by friends to celebrate their one-year anniversary together.

They had met at the music extravaganza the previous June, shortly before former England star Andy announced he was splitting from wife of two years Billi Mucklow – formerly of reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex.

Andy and Lou’s time at Worthy Farm, however, turned out rather differently. In fact, I can reveal it turned into a nightmare as makeup artist and Harry Styles’s best friend Lou packed up and left in tears following a huge bust-up with Andy. I’m also told this followed weeks of earlier rows between the couple, many over Andy’s heavy drinking, which teetotal Lou has long struggled to deal with.

Sources close to the pair say Glastonbury was one of the ‘final straws’ in their romance. Although Andy is said to want to reconcile, Lou is refusing. Meanwhile, several of those who know Lou got in touch yesterday to share their delight and relief at the split, telling me that they had been looking on in horror as Lou endured Andy’s impossible behaviour for the past 14 months.

One friend of Lou’s told me: ‘We all hated Andy: he was horrible to Lou. They’ve been on the brink for weeks. Lou left Glastonbury early after yet another bust-up. It got so bad that she decided to leave - it was quite a major milestone. It was supposed to be a happy weekend away, but it instead it was awful.

‘She left without him because she could take no more. He would do it [arguing with her] in front of other people, too. Everyone around Lou hated him and they pleaded with her to end it.

‘But in the end it was how things were between them: they’d argue, make up, argue again - one of those relationships. [Lou’s] sister [Sam] hated him - they all did - and couldn’t understand why she was with him. He treated her really badly and was horrible to her. Her friends didn’t like him when he’d had a drink.’

Indeed, in some quarters there may not be much sympathy for Lou, 40, a hairdresser turned social media influencer and businesswoman. She met Andy some weeks before he announced that he and Billi had split, saying in a statement: ‘Billi and I have privately separated earlier this year and we are underway with our divorce proceedings.’

Andy and Lou wasted no time in playing out their romance in public while Billi stayed at home with their three children - as well as Andy’s two older ones from a previous relationship.

Billi was forced to put the six-bedroom marital home, which the couple had bought from Sir Rod Stewart for £4.1million back in 2019, on the market – which prompted a huge divide in the Essex social scene. Regulars at Andy and Billi’s local pub, the Theydon Oak, found themselves forced to pick a side because Lou’s sister Sam was also a regular.

‘It was like a bomb going off,’ said one local. ‘Sam knew Billi, all of their friends knew one another and the next thing, there was a huge divide.’

After months of idyllic happiness together, Andy and Lou’s romance appeared to be on the rocks as recently as eight weeks ago, when the father-of-five was questioned by police on the Greek holiday island of Mykonos over drunken rows they had been having. However, he wasn’t arrested and no further action was taken, with the couple continuing their romance.

This summer, the pair have enjoyed multiple holidays together and have gone to see Oasis on tour, while only three weeks ago Andy commented on one of Lou’s Instagram posts saying how lucky he was to be with her.

In April, Andy had hinted that he was ready to settle down with Lou by referring to her as his ‘wifey’ on Instagram, as sources revealed that he was keen to remarry.

I’m told that they were in the process of buying a house together, though it’s not known if they had completed on it.

But yesterday Lou confirmed that they had split for good, insisting that she had ended the relationship. ‘You can’t say that karma didn’t come and bite them both,’ said one associate. ‘There was Billi holding the family together while Andy and Lou were frolicking around in the sea in Majorca [where they also travelled recently].

‘It was all very tone-deaf but Lou didn’t seem to care: she just fancied Andy so much.’

I first revealed the romance and at the time friends of the couple hoped that they could be made into a ‘brand’ similar to Posh and Becks. Both were very happy when their relationship was made public, with sources saying that they wanted to show the world they were in love.

Indeed, Lou – a close friend of the late Caroline Flack – had hoped that she could tame the wild man of football, who had a reputation for drinking and womanising.

In May 2022, Andy, now 36, was pictured ‘passed out’ between not one, but two blonde women during his Dubai stag do, causing upset and distress for Billi. Their Hampshire wedding went ahead after Billi forgave Andy, who later published a series of photos from their happy day online.

I witnessed Andy’s penchant for a party when he was playing for West Ham United between 2013 and 2019. During his earlier years at the club, he would be a frequent visitor to pubs at Canary Wharf where I worked. He was often seen whiling away the afternoons there. However, female bar staff at the local Slug and Lettuce did not appreciate his arrogant behaviour.

‘Lou knew about his reputation when she got with him but she truly believed that she could be the one to change him,’ said one friend.

‘Nobody had managed to before, not even Billi whom he was once so in love with. Lou’s friends and family spent months telling her to leave him but she wouldn’t listen. The relationship was so volatile that friends were genuinely worried. Andy was never going to change but she was just so in love with him. We just hope that she finds happiness with someone nicer.’

As for Andy, who now plays for National League side Dagenham & Redbridge, if he was looking to move back in with Billi then he might need to ‘think again’, according to sources close to her.

Billi, who is currently holidaying in Majorca with her family, posted an image of her wearing a bikini by the pool, prompting praise from her former Towie co-stars. ‘It was the perfect F-you to Andy,’ mused one friend.

‘And if Andy thinks he is going to win her back then he is seriously mistaken. Now he’s on his own.’