A water firm backed by Steven Gerrard went down the drain in a humiliating way. Angel Revive, a company backed by the Liverpool icon, appears to have ceased operations amidst debts exceeding £500,000. The alkaline water producer, which once boasted the former midfielder as an ambassador and investor, is now listed as permanently closed on Google.

Angel Revive was founded by Mark Doyle after he visited a farmer, who revealed that under the grounds there was a spring used for healing purposes, dating back to the 17th century. Doyle brought in a digger and located the water source, eventually bottling it up and forming a company.

Gerrard had extended a loan of £371,524 to Angel Revive through Steven Gerrard Promotions (SGP). A financial statement from SGP highlighted Gerrard's involvement, stating: "Also included in investments is a commercial loan to Angel Revive Limited, the value of this loan at 31 March 2021 was £371,524".

It was revealed that Gerrard held a 25 per cent shareholding in the firm, which now seems to have closed down. Despite the star-studded backing, the company's latest accounts filed with Companies House paint a grim picture, revealing outstanding debts to creditors amounting to £542,220, with a staggering £398,353 attributed to unpaid rent. The report grimly notes: "The company has negative reserves at the balance sheet date and is dependent on the continued financial support of the directors and shareholders."

Gerrard once declared the water: "The superhero of waters, in purity, nutrition and healthiness."

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo in 2019, Doyle said: "A couple of years ago I bought a plot of land in West Lancashire and was thinking about building a house on the site.

"A farmer who lived nearby invited me in for a chat, and we had a game of snooker. During the game he told me that there was an old well or spring under the field, somewhere on the land.

"He said that hundreds of years ago people used to visit the spring because the water was supposed to have healing properties. He said it dated back to the 17th century.

"I had a close friend whose wife was ill. So I started thinking about the well and how it might be able to help people a bit.

"So I went out with a shovel, and started digging around. Eventually I found a source of water, but I was not sure. So I got a digger on the site, and started excavating."

The story was recently covered on an episode of The Upshot Podcast. One commenter likened the company to an episode of Only Fools and Horses, in which a character sells 'Peckham Spring', a supposedly pure water source that turns out to be tap water.

When it came to securing a partnership with Gerrard, Doyle added: "I wanted a leading figure from the world of sport to come on board, and could not think of a better name than Steven Gerrard."

"Although I was a big Liverpool FC fan, I didn't know him. But I approached him through a pal. Steven said yes."

Gerrard said at the time: "Yes I am happy to be an ambassador for Angel Revive. My family and I drink it and we want others to enjoy it too.

"I had stopped playing when Mark first approached me, but I still train to keep myself in decent shape. Drinking the right water is an important part of that."

A version of this article first appeared on the website