A former Liverpool defender has admitted he “hid having seizures” from the Reds after he was “petrified” about being released
A former Liverpool star has admitted he “hid having seizures” after thinking it would lead to his release. Stephen Warnock, 44, came through the Reds’ academy to make 67 appearances between 2002 and 2007.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Warnock revealed he suffered from epileptic fits as a youngster: “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’.
“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!”
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Warnock also recalled one terrifying moment when he woke up in a hospital bed after blacking out: “I was at a computer and then I woke up in a hospital bed,’ he went on. ‘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.”
Warnock retired in 2018 and concedes 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. Last year became the first England player to score a try in all five games of a single Six Nations Championship.