Footage of Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff shortly after his Top Gear crash has been shown for the first time, revealing the extent of his injuries.
The TV presenter and former England cricket all-rounder sustained serious facial injuries and broken ribs after a crash while filming Top Gear at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, in December 2022.
The incident happened midway through the filming of the second season of Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, which aired yesterday on BBC One.
The programme showed footage Flintoff filmed of himself a week-and-a-half after the accident.
Pic: BBC
“Genuinely should not be here after what happened,” he said in the clip.
“This is going to be a long road back and I have only just started and I am struggling already.
“Got to look at the positive side, I’m still here, I’ve got another chance. I’ve got a go at it… a second go.”
Footage filmed seven months after the accident showed Flintoff contemplating whether he could travel to India as part of the series, which sees the retired cricketer coach a team of teenagers from troubled backgrounds.
Flintoff, 46, said he was struggling to leave his home due to anxiety, and that he was having nightmares and flashbacks in the aftermath of the accident.
Northern Superchargers’ head coach Flintoff watching The Hundred women’s match at Headingly last month. Pic: PA
Flintoff during the nets session at the Kia Oval in September last year. Pic: PA
“I thought I could just shake it off,” he said.
“I wanted to shake it off and say ‘here I am, I’m alright’. But it’s not been a case of that, it’s been a lot harder than I thought.
“As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I have just not been able to.”
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He added: “I don’t want to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want sympathy, but it’s going from being in here for seven months really and then going to India for two and a half weeks.”
The programme showed how Flintoff ultimately managed to make the trip to India, which was delayed by more than a year due to his crash.
The incident led to him stepping back from the Top Gear – which has since been suspended for the “foreseeable future” by the BBC.
Previously, the BBC said it had agreed a financial settlement with Flintoff, which was reported to be worth £9m, according to The Sun.
Flintoff returned to cricket as a part of the England coaching staff, and is currently in his first full-time coaching position with Northern Superchargers, in The Hundred.