Freddie Flintoff reveals full facial injuries in tearful home video after Top Gear crash
Viewers praised the former cricketer for his ‘strength and courage’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Freddie Flintoff’s full facial injuries have been revealed, as the star shared a raw home video in a new BBC series, following his horrifying and near-fatal Top Gear crash.
The former cricketer was involved in the gruesome incident while filming the motoring show in December 2022, leading the BBC to suspend production for the “foreseeable future”, deeming it inappropriate to continue. He received £9m in compensation as a result of the incident.
In the new BBC series, Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour, Flintoff opens up about the crash, which left him with facial injuries requiring surgery, revealing for the first time that he still suffers nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety.
“I genuinely should not be here after what happened,” he said, revealing that he was unable to “just shake it off” after the crash.
The star is tearful as he shares an intimate recording showing the full extent of the facial injuries he obtained after the incident.
The 46-year-old can be seen with gashes and lacerations across his face, including his cheeks, mouth, nose, and ears. A small bandage appears to be stitched into the area around his mouth, suggesting a missing piece of flesh.
“I don’t want to sit and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want sympathy. I’m struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks – it’s been so hard to cope,” he said in a trailer for the show.
“But I’m thinking if I don’t do something, I’ll never go. I’ve got to get on with it.”
The father-of-four said: “I am struggling already and I need help. I really am. I’m not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes.”
Viewers praised the show and Flintoff’s frankness as they wrote, “Proper tv, proper people. A further reminder that despite what this platform tells you, the world is mostly full of decent people.”
Another added, “The world needs more people like Andrew Flintoff. What an incredible bloke.”
“I didn’t think I could love Freddie Flintoff any more than I did until I watched the new series of Field of Dreams.
“What a man, great strength and courage to come back from what he did and you get the genuine affection he has for those young cricketers. Brilliant to watch.”
Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour sees the retired cricketer head to India with the unlikely Preston youth cricket team he trained in the original 2022 series.
In the new series, he describes his recovery as a “long road back”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments