Footballer Andy Carroll was reportedly caught entering his former Essex home without informing estranged wife Billi Mucklow.

The ex-Liverpool striker, 35, is said to have waited until Billi, 36, had left before going inside to collect some belongings. 

However, the home's security cameras alerted her to his presence through her phone.

A source told The Sun: 'He was busted the moment he entered the property as Billi was alerted to his movements on their home CCTV, connected to her phone. 

'She hadn’t realised he was back from France and was understandably shocked and upset. She watched the whole thing unfold on her phone. She felt it was sneaky.' 

The pair, who married in 2022 after an eight-year engagement, announced their split earlier this year and are in the process of selling their £8.5 million mansion, once owned by Sir Rod Stewart.

MailOnline has approached Billi and Andy's representatives for comment. 

Andy, who has a reported £19 million fortune, has recently been seen with his new partner, celebrity make-up artist Lou Teasdale, 42, but Billi is said to be frustrated by how openly he has moved on.

The source continued: 'Billi just thinks it’s disrespectful to be flaunting his new romance so openly.'

The couple share three children, aged nine, six, and four, while Andy has two older children, aged 15 and 14, from a previous relationship. 

It comes as MailOnline can reveal Andy's new partner Lou is desperate to avoid any confrontation with the Mucklows and has no intention of rubbing her new relationship in their faces.

Andy and Lou made their first public appearance at a Halloween party in which they dressed up as Taylor Swift and her NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

They have previously been spotted together on a date in East London and on a beach in Mallorca celebrating influencer Lou's 41st birthday.

The former One Direction stylist Lou has yet to push her new relationship with Andy on social media out of respect for Billi, who was in a relationship with the ex-West Ham star for 11 years. 

 An insider said: 'Lou doesn't want any bad blood between Billi and her family.

'She's trying to be as respectful as possible.'

Billi remains in the family home in Epping, Essex while Andy continues his football career in France, playing for Bordeaux in the fourth tier of the country's football league.

The purchased the £4.1m property from Rod Stewart in 2019 and the 18th century home boasts 25 acres of land, a football pitch and a lake.