Former England cricket star-turned-TV presenter Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has spoken for the first time about the devastating mental and physical toll of his 2022 crash while filming the BBC show Top Gear. The 47-year-old, who sustained severe facial and rib injuries in the accident, shared his struggles during an episode of his BBC series, Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams.
Flintoff's comments shed light on the serious nature of the crash, which occurred at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. He revealed that the incident, which required extensive facial reconstruction surgery, left him questioning whether he could continue his career.
The news comes as Flintoff is featured in the third season of his series, where he works to establish a girls' cricket team in Liverpool, signalling a slow return to the public eye following his traumatic experience.
In the first episode of the series which launches on Sunday 7 September, one of the teenagers he invites to join them asks him: "How hard was it to leave your house again?" after the crash.
Flintoff replied: "It was, what - 18 months ago? And you know, I've suffered with things like depression in the past before, but this time was different. I didn't know if I had it in me to carry on, not that I wanted to die or anything like that, I just didn't know if I had it in me, and that took a while.
"The one thing, I think, getting quite deep here, but the one thing you just want to be is happy in yourself, and try and be accepting of yourself of what you are. It took me a long time to be like that, and then the crash put me back again, and now it's like finding myself or finding the person I want to be."
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