Freddie Flintoff opens up on crash that nearly killed him as its shown for first time
Freddie Flintoff has been opening up more about the crash that nearly killed him ahead of it being shown for the first time.
The star is appearing on this weekend’s episode of The Jonathan Ross Show as he talks about the accident that took place while filming Top Gear in 2022.
This comes as the horror incident is featured in the upcoming Disney+ documentary, Flintoff.
The former England player tells host Jonathan Ross that cricket is the one place he now feels ‘most comfortable’ after ‘everything that’s happened over the past few years’.
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In the trailer of the new doc, Flintoff says the crash is ‘so vivid’ in his mind as he added that he’s spent time living ‘under the radar’ after speculation over the accident and his injuries.
This is something he touches on during Saturday’s (19 April) chat show appearance.
“No secret that I had a car accident filming Top Gear. Afterwards, obviously there’s the physical scars that I’ve got. But then the mental side of it,” Flintoff tells Ross. “I didn’t leave the house for probably six or eight months. The only times I was leaving the house was for medical appointments and surgeries.”
The crash took place in December 2022 when he flipped a Morgan Super 3 whilst not wearing a helmet, leading to BBC 'resting' the motoring show and the 47-year-old staying out of the public eye.
But, one of the sport's leading all-rounders, he eventually found himself getting back into cricket, watching test matches from a back room away from the crowd and wearing a ‘full face mask for months’.
He continues: “That time when I probably needed it most, cricket embraced me again. I found myself back in it. The TV stuff, I still do the odd job, I’ve got bills to pay. But cricket now, back in coaching is my definite future, I’m loving it.”
In September, Flintoff was announced as the new head coach of the England Lions cricket team and last year had a new season of his show, Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams.
But getting back into the sport after the crash still came with its own challenges as he reveals: "I was struggling with crippling anxiety. I had to have about five or six goes at leaving the room. Had to have a chat with myself in the mirror. I think because I’d not done anything for such a long time. I’d not shown myself without a face mask to anyone. It was like starting again.”
And despite being well-versed in TV, the presenter does admit that filming Flintoff was ‘quite strange’ at first.
“It’s something you live with,” he said. “Since the accident, had the flashbacks, the nightmares and things… you’re talking about it, you’re talking about it quite a lot. I enjoy watching the cricket bits, wish there was more of them in it. The hardest part is seeing people talk about you.”
Nowadays, with more time having passed since the accident, Flintoff is glad his mates are starting to have proper banter with him again, rather than skirting around it.
“I’d not left the house for a while, gone down to London to go to the office,” he explains. “One of my mates was there, I had a bucket hat, glasses and a mask and he said, ‘F*** me, it’s the invisible man.’ It’s always better when that starts happening. Back to normal.
“I’m more accepting of it now, it is what it is and move on.”
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on 19 April at 10:20pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Flintoff lands on Disney+ on 25 April.
Topics: Freddie Flintoff, Top Gear, ITV, Celebrity, TV and Film
Jess Battison