Jeremy Clarkson said he ‘knew what happened’ in Freddie Flintoff’s ‘horrific’ crash.
The former England cricketer was involved in the near-fatal incident in 2022 while filming for Top Gear. And with the 47-year-old suffering ‘life-altering injuries’, the accident has never aired on TV.
However, Flintoff is further opening up about the crash with it set to be shown for the first time in the upcoming Disney+ documentary, Flintoff.
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It took place when the star flipped a Morgan Super 3 while not wearing a helmet, as co-host Chris Harris previously explained on a podcast that he ‘thought he was dead’.
In the months following the incident, BBC announced it would be ‘resting’ Top Gear and eventually said it would not be returning for the ‘foreseeable future’.
And ex star of the show Clarkson claimed that Flintoff wasn’t ‘keen to get back to work’ while Richard Hammond would frequently get injured and return, however, the star said he 'didn't blame him'.
“I don’t blame him. I know what happened on that awful day and it was horrific,” he wrote in his column for The Sun in 2023. “Sure, the producers could try to find a replacement. But would you want that gig? Really?
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“Because not only would you come across as a heartless tw*t, you’d be on a show that was written and produced every week by a newly invigorated and all-powerful health and safety department.”
Clarkson reckoned Flintoff made the right choice in not returning to the motoring show.
In the trailer for Flintoff, the star says of the crash: “I remember everything about it… it’s so vivid."
He goes on to comment on the frustration with just how much attention surrounded the accident, as clips are featured of paparazzi working to capture his facial injuries.
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"I’ve lived under the radar for seven months, one of the real frustrations was the speculation, that’s why I’m doing this now, (about) what actually happened,” Flintoff says.
In last year’s series of Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams, the star said he has flashbacks and nightmares as a result of the incident and now ‘struggles with anxiety’ due to it.
"I genuinely should not be here after what happened,” he said.
"This will be a long road back and I’ve only just started, I’m stuck already.
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“I need help, and I realise I’m not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. I’ve got to look at the positives, haven’t I?
“I’m still here, I’ve got another chance, I’ve got to go at it. I’m seeing that as how it is, a second go."
Flintoff lands on Disney+ on 25 April.
Topics: Freddie Flintoff, Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, Disney Plus
Jess Battison