Inside Andy Carroll's ascent to Bordeaux cult hero following his split from TOWIE star Billi Mucklow and new romance with celebrity make-up artist - with ex-Newcastle and Liverpool striker keen to keep playing for another FIVE years

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French fourth-tier side Olympique Saumur average just over 800 spectators at their home games at the Stade des Rives du Thouet. Footage of the visit of Bordeaux last Saturday night would imply those numbers did not much alter when Andy Carroll came to town. 

The clash was just the second the 35-year-old had played for the troubled club, who had their professional license removed and were relegated to France's fourth division after financial issues during a turbulent summer.  

Bordeaux, six-time Ligue 1 winners, were still smarting from their first relegation from the top-flight in 31 years when their situation went from bad to catastrophic. Bankruptcy meant the club would have to start again but there was one silver lining. 

As Bordeaux tried in vain to escape their second-division purgatory, Carroll was closing the book on his career in English football. The final stop was Reading, where the 6ft 4in striker scored nine goals in the Championship for a Royals roster who, you guessed it, got relegated. 

At 32-years-old, having struggled with injuries for large portions of his career and after turning out for the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham - in addition to earning nine caps for England - you would have forgive Carroll for wanting to call it quits altogether. 

Andy Carroll has quickly endeared himself to the Bordeaux faithful following his summer move

Fresh from split with wife Billi Mucklow, Carroll has been finding his feet in southwest France

Carroll is also believed to have started a new romance with beauty entrepreneur Lou Teasdale

The Gateshead native certainly had enough on his plate outside of the game, what, with his five children, three of whom he shares with his wife, TOWIE star Billi Mucklow. 

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The couple tied the knot in 2022 at the Four Seasons in Hampshire during a joyous weekend that included a Coachella-themed party which they cleverly dubbed Carroll Chella. 

Moving swiftly past that nauseating tag, it nevertheless pointed to a change in the former Geordie heroes' life, a reduction in the partying perhaps? At the very least, no more unwanted booze-related headlines. But Carroll wasn't done with football and he wasn't done with the partying either. 

Just weeks before his wedding to Mucklow he had been snapped passed out in bed between two blondes during his raucous Dubai stag-do. So the veteran striker kept his options open after his ending his contract at Reading. 

'I wanted a challenge. A challenge in a completely different country. A fresh start.' He exclusively told Mail Sport in January. 'I spoke to my agent and said, 'Get me a club abroad'. 

Carroll married The Only Way is Essex star in a lavish Hampshire ceremony in 2022 

Mucklow and Carroll first became engaged in November 2014 but split ten years later

The former Newcastle striker was snapped in bed with bar manager Taylor Jane Wilkey days before his wedding to Mucklow

'I came here and it was the one. It's a one and half hour drive to Calais and I can get the shuttle back to Epping (the family home).

'Here I can take my kids to the zoo here and they're not saying, 'Come on dad' because people are asking for photos or autographs. There's a little pub around the corner where me and a couple of the boys went to watch Newcastle beat PSG the other week. What a game! No one said a word to me.'

'Here' is Amiens, where Carroll would call home for 12 months, where he would get the chance to continue his career in the French second division and where he would live alone. 

Mucklow and the kids remained in Essex, albeit with the intention of eventually joining him on the continent but any hope of that was dashed last month with the news that the couple are moving forward with divorce proceedings, having secretly separated earlier in the year.

'It has been a hard few months for our family,' Carroll said in a statement. 'And we continue to move forward amicably for our children.'

Meanwhile a source told The Sun: 'Andy and Billi care about each other a lot and have made some great memories together, but decided it was best for the family if they went their separate ways having grown apart'.

Carroll left English football after a short stint in the Championship with Reading during the 2022-23 season

French giants Bordeaux were relegated to the fourth-tier after  filing for bankruptcy at the end of the campaign

Carroll's French adventure began with a 12-month stay with second division side Amiens 

The veteran striker scored just four goals goals in 31 appearances, from 16 starts, for the outfit

Perhaps that stag-do incident, and the boozy nights out in London did take their toll. 

Carroll's first taste of French football wasn't an especially good one, just four goals in 31 appearances, from 16 starts, across all competitions was a tame return. By this summer, the previous two seasons had been played in the second-tiers in England and France - a step down the ladder was necessary. But two? 

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Given their plight, his move to Gironde came as a surprise. According to L'Equipe, it was Amiens sporting director John Williams who played a key role in convincing Carroll to drop down and join Bordeaux. Although Williams remains in his role at Amiens, he has reportedly been involved in helping Bordeaux build a new squad.

'I joined because it's a great project,' said Carroll in his first interview after the move. 'Unfortunately, the club has been relegated several divisions but it's a big club and we're going to try to put it back where it should be.

'I just love football and it was an opportunity to play for a big French club. The level you play at doesn't matter in the end.' 

In addition to his positives statements about the club, the striker also revealed that the financials in the deal were far from ideal.  He added: 'I love playing football and that's what I came here to do. I really hope we can achieve our goals this season.

While Carroll plied his trade in Amiens, Mucklow and their family stayed based in Essex 

Ahead of their season in the fourth-tier, Carroll signed for Bordeaux on a free transfer

'To be honest, it even costs me money to have gone to play for the Girondins. But I play football and I'm simply happy to play football. I want to be part of the history of this club and to be honest it's not a question of money. In my career, it's never been a question of money.'

Thus far, Carroll has made good on that promise. Back to last Saturday's game in front of around 8,000 spectators, well the veteran target man netted twice to earn his side their first win of the campaign. 

His 84th-minute winner - a header at the back post, of course - was his fourth goal in just two outings for the fallen giants. With six points from their first five league matches, Bordeaux are slowing finding their feet in the Championnat National 2. 

'When I signed for Amiens, it was just a different way of life - just quiet and relaxed. Walking down the street was fine.' Carroll said in an interview with BBC last month.  'I've been at the top level where people are on £100,000-a-week, and then you come to France and the lads are on nowhere near that, and they're coming in every day, working hard and with a smile on their face. And we're going home, having barbecues and stuff like that.

'It's just a completely different way of life and it's just brilliant. It's just exactly what I wanted and exactly what I needed in my life.'

Bordeaux players celebrated Carroll's first goal in their 2-1 win over Olympique Saumur last week

The 35-year-old grabbed his second of the match - and fourth of the season - to hand his side the win

The former England star has said that he intends to keep playing for another five years and help Bordeaux climb back up the leagues

His goals are quickly cementing him as a fan favourite and he is curiously attracting interest again on this side of the channel. And it's not just for his on-field exploits. 

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EXCLUSIVE

How showbiz's unlikeliest couple Lou Teasdale and Andy Carroll could be getting serious,

So swiftly after ending things with Mucklow, Carroll has been linked with celebrity makeup artist Lou Teasdale. The 40-year-old has even visited him in Bordeaux.

Teasdale has carved out quite a career for herself as an influencer with six million Instagram followers, two successful businesses and a million-pound house in Hackney which has its own Instagram account – as well as a second property which she is doing up.

She co-owns the hair colouring company Bleach London with her twin sister Samantha Teasdale, which they launched in 2010.

Now with two salons, one in Los Angeles and one in London, the company has raised more than £10million in investment and has sold more than £30million of products in the UK alone.

'You do have to wonder what Andy and Lou have in common, they come from completely different worlds, but they get on really great.' One source told Mail Online. 

Teasdale (left) is believed to have travelled to France to watch Carroll turn out for his new club 

The pair were spotted having a drink in Spitalfields market in east London earlier this month

Carroll appears to have found a new equilibrium in Bordeaux, one he is keen to enjoy for many more years to come. 

'I want to be part of this project,' he added in his interview with the BBC. 'And perhaps play "another five years until I'm 40. Everything - from the stadium to the training ground - is set up perfectly for what I need and want.'

Carroll may have set social abuzz with clips of him bullying defenders in surroundings reminiscent of a Sunday league pitch in a local park but Bordeaux play their home games in the 42,000-seater Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux. 

And let's not forget their status as one of the most successful clubs in France, with a league title acquired more recently than Lyon, Nantes and Saint-Etienne. Carroll has the chance to go down as a club legend if he can help fire Bordeaux back up the divisions where they belong. It would be a remarkable end to an eventful career.