Paddy McGuinness speaks out for the first time over not seeing Freddie Flintoff for two years

Paddy McGuinness has spoken out about his friendship with Freddie Flintoff after the former cricket ace revealed they have barely spoken in the last two years.

The Bolton-born comedian, 51, has opened up about where he stands with his former Top Gear co-star following the devastating crash which spelt what is believed to be the end of the hit show.

Flintoff, 47, was left with life-changing injuries after the open-topped Morgan Super 3 he was driving during a segment of the BBC car show suddenly flipped over in December 2022.

The cricket legend and TV presenter was not wearing a crash helmet, and despite the car only moving at a speed of 22mph, he suffered some horrific injuries - the extent of which has been laid bare in shocking new images.

Fellow Top Gear star Chris Harris watched the whole thing unfold and said he initially thought Flintoff was dead, as he couldn't see the dad-of-three moving.

The racing driver, who said he 'loves [Flintoff] to bits', explained he felt 'partly responsible' for the incident and spoke out about how he has found it 'very difficult to live with'.

In a new documentary simply titled Flintoff, the man whose life nearly ended behind the wheel of the Morgan Super 3 has shared further details of how the crash impacted his life.

Heartbreakingly, he said it would have been 'so much easier' if he'd died in the Top Gear crash.

Top Gear was put on hiatus after Flintoff's near-miss and the BBC said it would not return for the 'foreseeable future', though McGuinness and Harris did later work together on Paddy and Chris: Road Tripping.

In Flintoff, the cricketer said he'd had a close bond with them both, but hadn't spoken to them very much since the crash.

He said: "We’ve been in contact, I saw Chris actually. We hugged each other, he got upset, I got upset. It was really nice to see him.

Paddy McGuinness has opened up about the unwavering 'love' he has for his former Top Gear co-star (BBC)

"And I feel bad I haven’t been more in contact with him and Paddy. I think there was some comments on Paddy a while ago saying I’ve not spoken to him, not done this, that and the other.

"And part of it is, for myself a little bit, you know what I mean? I hate the word triggering, but I’m worried about that.

"It’s also something stopped in some ways I suppose because of what happened to me, like, their careers have been altered as well, so I feel, not guilty but I feel bad for them."

Now, McGuinness has told of his unwavering 'love' for Flintoff, while revealing their unlikely bond - despite the Max and Paddy actor knowing nothing about cricket.

The former Take Me Out presenter said, as per the Mirror: "I love Fred. He’s a good lad. The mad thing about me getting on with him so well is that I know absolutely zero about cricket.

The comedian said working with Flintoff and Harris was 'a privilege' (BBC)

"I've never watched it, never been into it and never played it. I knew of Freddie and Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan... the famous names."

He went on to fondly recall how he, Flintoff and Harris would 'just laugh' while working alongside each other everyday, describing it as a 'lovely experience'.

"It was one of those jobs for me, as someone who wasn’t well travelled, to visit the places we did in Top Gear and go off the beaten track," McGuinness said.

"It was only when I reflect on the things we did that I think what a privilege it is to have done that job. Freddie and I still message.

"But everyone’s got busy lives. It’s like with every show I do, you work with people and you keep in touch but no one lives near everyone. It’s like lightning in a bottle getting everyone together."

McGuinness previously discussed his stance on reviving Top Gear without Flintoff, saying the 'great chemistry' he shared with Harris and the cricketer couldn't be replicated.