Stephen Warnock's Secret Struggle: Hiding Seizures at Liverpool

Stephen Warnock, a seasoned football veteran with 541 professional appearances under his belt, has opened up about a hidden struggle from his youth. The former Premier League player kept his seizures a secret while training at Liverpool, fearing it might cost him his place at the club. At 44, now a pundit for 5 Live, Warnock shared his story after listening to Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks discuss his own battle with epilepsy. It was the first time Warnock revealed his own experiences with seizures, which he endured during his formative years at Anfield. "I was terrified of coming forward to Liverpool about it because I thought they might release me," Warnock admitted. "I feared that if they knew I had a condition, I would be out the door. The thought of having a seizure on the pitch was daunting; there were no specific triggers, which made it all the more frightening." Epilepsy affects approximately one in 100 people in the UK, and according to Epilepsy Action, many children are diagnosed after experiencing seizures. While medication can help manage the condition, it requires careful oversight. Warnock recalls his first seizure occurring while he was at school, leaving him bewildered. "I was sitting at a computer and suddenly woke up in a hospital bed, completely lost. I had no recollection of what happened," he said. His friends filled him in on the episode, explaining that an ambulance had to be called. The stigma around his condition weighed heavily on him. "I felt embarrassed because no one else I knew had this issue, and I was completely in the dark about it myself until it happened," he confessed. After experiencing another seizure at home, Warnock underwent CT and MRI scans. "It was a challenging few years," he remarked. Since retiring from football in 2018, Warnock has not had a seizure since he was 14. However, the anxiety about a potential recurrence still lingers. "I was fortunate to grow out of it without needing medication or worrying about driving. This is the first time I’ve really opened up about it," he concluded.