Why Andrew Flintoff gets called ‘Freddie’

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has been back in the public eye recently following a horrific accident while filming for an episode of Top Gear, but have you ever wondered why he is always known as ‘Freddie’ in the first place?

Whether playing for Lancashire or England, Flintoff could usually be relied upon to make a telling contribution, either with the bat, ball, or in the field.

The home Ashes series in 2005 will forever be remembered as the series in which England conquered one of the greatest test cricket sides ever seen, not just one of the greatest Australia sides.

But, the abiding images of that series invariably feature Flintoff, either showing great sportsmanship to console his opponent after a loss, or standing in a gladiatorial pose arms outstretched after knocking over yet another Aussie wicket.

Since his cricket career came to an end, he became a regular on A League of Their Own, as well as featuring on many other shows and creating his own cricket documentary in his hometown, Preston.

The three-wheeled vehicle that he was driving at great speed flipped over, causing him to be seriously injured.

Thankfully, he’s recently re-appeared and seems to be recovering well from his injuries, although his future on Top Gear is still up in the air.

But, you know all of that – do you know about his famous nickname though?

You might think it’s just to do with simple alliteration, but you’d be wrong.

It actually comes from the big man’s name being reminiscent of a cartoon character – Fred Flintstone.

Yes, it’s really as simple as that.

The story goes that he was given the nickname as a child, and it’s just stuck since then.

The alliteration does make it roll off the tongue, to be fair.

Since then, all his colleagues in TV and cricket have called him ‘Freddie’ or ‘Fred’ instead of his real name, Andrew.

Can you imagine anyone calling him ‘Andy’, though?