Billi Mucklow shows her close bond with step-daughter Emilie Rose, 17, in sweet photos of prom dress shopping and the first day of sixth form - as Andy Carroll reflects on their 'car crash' marriage

The fictional world is rife with stepmothers portrayed as unpleasant, unkind and neglectful. 

But Billi Mucklow has rewritten that script, forging a close bond with both of her stepchildren, Emilie Rose, 17, and Lucas, 15, whom she helped raise as her own during her 11-year relationship with footballer Andy Carroll. 

Ex-Premier League footballer Andy, 37, and former TOWIE star Billi, also 37, have three children together, Arlo, 11, Wolf, eight, and Marvel Mae.

While Billi remains close to both her stepchildren, her bond with Emilie Rose is particularly evident, with the teen featuring in the reality star's social media posts as she marks major milestones from prom night to the first day of sixth form.

Billi and Andy split in 2024, with the footballer later going on to describe their marriage as a 'car crash' in his new tell-all book, Owning It, while claiming the relationship was 'on its last legs' before the former couple even tied the knot. 

Despite the end of their turbulent relationship, Billi has remained committed to being a constant presence in the lives of all five children, including Emilie Rose and Lucas - and they all live together in Essex. 

Emilie Rose and Lucas are from Andy's relationship with property management businesswoman Faye Johnstone, 36. 

Adam and Faye got engaged in 2014 after meeting the year before, but split when she was four months pregnant with Lucas, with her claiming that Andy had turned into a 'sex-hungry bed-hopper' who had 'lost his mind.'  

Last week, Billi shared an adorable photo dump of Marvel and Emilie Rose as they celebrated their birthday. 

In one sweet snap, the siblings posed cuddling on the floor in front of a load of presents and balloons. 

She also shared a clip of Emilie Rose opening her gifts from Billi, which included driving lessons and her provisional licence.  

Alongside the post, Billi wrote: 'Happy Birthday My Beautiful Girls! My baby is 6 and my big baby is 17!

'Your both my absolute everything, today is so special as you get to share it, I'm so lucky that you have each other sisters and best friends no matter your age! Let's get you driving.' [sic].

Earlier this month, Billi also marked the first day back at school for all five children with a snap of them beaming on the porch.

She penned: 'All 5 back to school, back to a thousand school runs, back to clubs! See Ya kids! Sixth Form, Year 10, Year 7, Year 4 & Year 1. I love you.'

Last month, Billi celebrated Emilie Rose's GCSE results after the mother-and-daughter duo enjoyed a sun-soaked trip away with the reality star's sister Giorgie.

The proud stepmum shared a video on her Instagram Stories of her stepdaughter opening her results and looking thrilled with them.

Billi then wrote over the top: 'Well Done my baby girl! Smashed your GCSEs! I'm so bloody proud of you! emilierosecarroll. That face says it all! Well done darling xxxx.'

In June, the reality star shared another gushing post about her step-daughter as she headed to prom after Billi collected the teen from Leavers Day.

Billi had set up a stunning backdrop in the garden for Emilie Rose and her friends before the main event.

She wrote next to the post: 'My Beautiful Emilierose.

'I’m so proud of you little lady! I’ve Had the best day with you and your girls! Leavers day, shirt singing and your prom! Senior school done baby girl! Have the best night! I love you.'

Just months earlier, the pair enjoyed a trip to Red Carpet Ready, where they searched for her prom dress. 

Billi documented the day on her Instagram, with clips of Emilie Rose trying on several dresses before saying 'Yes' to the dress.

The star penned: 'She said YES to the dress. Taking my beautiful girl prom dress shopping @redcarpetreadylincoln was so special.

'I’ve never seen so many stunning dresses in one place whatever the occasion, whether it’s prom, an 18th, 21st, 30th, 50th, black tie event, or even a wedding, they truly have something for everyone. From size 0 to plus sizes, every girl is made to feel beautiful!

'We had the most amazing experience with one of their stylists who helped guide Emilie Rose with colours and styles that suited her perfectly.

'We were in absolute girl heaven, but nothing compares to seeing her light up when she found the one. I can’t believe my baby girl is all grown up and ready for prom.

'I can’t wait for you all to see the beautiful dress Emilie Rose picked.'

Last week, ex Andy said his marriage to Billi was 'on its last legs' before they even walked down the aisle.

The ex-Premier League footballer opened up about his disastrous marriage to the TOWIE star for the first time in his new tell-all book.

The striker reflected on why his relationship eventually came to an end in July 2024 after spending two years alone in France on transfer from Reading.

He claims that Billi had promised to move out there with him but that she ‘reneged on the deal’ which led to him feeling ‘depressed'.

'When I played abroad the original plan was for my family to come with me,' he wrote.

'I'd rather not go into detail but due to complicated family dynamics on my partner’s side, she stayed in Rod Stewart’s old house.

'She said she'd join me if I secured a job abroad... she reneged on the deal.

'The kids had been so excited, they'd even been to France to look at houses,’ he said. 'Suddenly I had two years on my own.’

He said that, while he did ‘enjoy’ his time in France, where he played for Amiens and Bordeaux, he was ‘too depressed and drinking too much’ to ‘mask the pain from being away from the kids'.

'On top of that my marriage was disintegrating,’ he said. 'I got engaged to Billi in 2014 but only married her in 2022.’

He said that the relationship started ‘going downhill fast’ when he left West Ham in May 2019, and ‘was on its last legs before we tied the knot.’

'But we had three kids plus custody of my first two so it just felt like the right thing to do,’ he said.

'I got so low that I started doing my own therapy sessions. I came to the realisation that I was missing having control of my life, I was missing my kids, but I wasn't missing her.’

He said it was this that led him to realise that his ‘marriage was over'.

'I spent the summer in Essex and loved being around the kids but hated the rest of it,’ he said.

'We'd have kitchen parties every weekend and I'd get drunk with all these random people. 'I'd be hungover to hell in the morning not wanting to do anything.'

Billi and Andy's wedding was almost called off when he was pictured drunkenly passed out in bed with two women in Dubai on his stag do.

Billi forgave him after one of the women insisted nothing sexual happened.

Less than two years after their wedding, the couple's marriage was over – with Andy confirming they had started divorce proceedings after 'a hard few months for our family'.

In his book, the footballer went on to talk about some of the issues the couple had once he had retired from football.

'When the kids went back to school, I was dropping them off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon and doing nothing much in between,' he wrote.

'Suddenly life without football was like staring into the abyss.

'I also worried me being home a lot more might put a strain on my relationship.

'As much as a footballer might want his relationship to be equal, it's simply not possible.

'Everything has to revolve around him. Not because he's better than his partner, because he needs to be the best he can possibly be to keep getting contracts and earning good money.’

'When a footballer retires,’ he said, ‘two lives get turned upside down.’

'And if the footballer has saved enough money to keep his family in the fashion they became accustomed to, he no longer has no structural meaning,’ he said.

Andy said he then found himself ‘sitting around the house all day’ and ‘wondering what to do with the rest of his life'.

Weeks after their split, Andy and celebrity hairstylist Lou Teasdale, 42, revealed that they had struck up a romantic relationship.

At the time, Billi was said to have been blindsided and friends of hers said that she 'knew Andy had someone' but she just wasn't sure who it was.

She found out shortly before the romance was made public.