Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has admitted he hid having seizures from the club because he was petrified of being released. The 44-year-old, who came through the Reds' academy and made 67 appearances between 2002 and 2007, spoke openly about his experience on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Fear of release
Warnock revealed he suffered from epileptic fits as a youngster and was terrified of telling Liverpool about his condition. He said: "I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried about being released. Because I was thinking 'if they think I've got a condition they will release me'."
He added: "I was worried about being on the pitch and it happens. There were no triggers for me, I never knew what triggered it. That was what petrified me!"
Hospital blackout
Warnock also recalled a terrifying moment when he woke up in a hospital bed after blacking out. He said: "I was at a computer and then I woke up in a hospital bed. And I was like 'wow, how have I got here?'. I didn't remember anything, I completely blacked out."
"My friends told me I started having a seizure. Obviously an ambulance was called and I was taken to a hospital bed. I was embarrassed to be honest, because no-one else had it, no-one knew about it, I didn't know about it until it happened."
Growing out of it
Warnock retired in 2018 and conceded he has not had a seizure since the age of 14, but he still fears it could happen again. "I was in a fortunate position where I grew out of it," he said. "I didn't have to go on medication or worry about driving a car or things like that. It's the first time I've ever really spoken about it."
Epilepsy, which affects around one in every 100 people, is not a barrier to being a successful sportsman. England rugby star Tommy Freeman, who also went on the British & Irish Lions tour in 2025, first started having seizures at 14 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 19. He takes tablets daily to deal with his condition and last year became the first England player to score a try in all five games of a single Six Nations Championship.
