Paddy McGuinness has broken his silence after the BBC decided to put Top Gear to 'rest'.
The comedian has hosted Top Gear alongside Chris Harris and Freddie Flintoff since 2019.
On Monday (21 November), the BBC confirmed the motoring show will be on 'rest' for the foreseeable future.
Production of Top Gear was halted after Flintoff was badly injured in a crash during filming last December.
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In a statement to the PA news agency, the BBC said: "Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
“The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them.
“We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.
“All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.”
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McGuinness has since taken to Instagram to share snaps of the presenter trio from the show, thanking fans.
He wrote in the caption: "We were always going to be bellends but we were your bellends. Thanks for all the love over the years folks, it was very much appreciated."
Fans were quick to comment with praise for Flintoff, Harris and McGuinness, calling them the 'best trio since Clarkson, May and the hamster'.
Others were gutted by the news that we may not be seeing new episodes of Top Gear for quite a while, writing: "Wait wait wait! Why does this sound like good bye?! Someone tell me it’s not good bye!!!"
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As another said: "Love all you guys. Your gonna be missed. At least Flintoff is alive. That's all that matters but still...... I'd be happy just to watch you three banter about cars with no crazy sh*t tbh. Hopefully you'll all be back sooner rather than later."
McGuinness also shared a video to his Instagram stories, featuring more snaps of the three working on the show while playing Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage'.
The crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey last year left Flintoff with broken ribs and facial injuries.
The ex-England cricket captain was hospitalised following the accident and recently reached a financial settlement with the BBC.
According to The Sun, the financial agreement is worth £9 million and is said to be based on two years of earnings he is believed to have missed out on.
Topics: Celebrity, Paddy McGuinness, TV and Film, Top Gear, BBC
Jess Battison