Andrew Flintoff has spoken publicly for the first time about the Top Gear crash in 2022 which left him with significant physical and mental scars.
Andrew Flintoff, the former-England captain-turned-coach, survived a high-speed car crash while filming for the TV show in December 2022, and underwent a series of operations on his face in the months after the crash. He has now opened up on the mental impact of the incident.
Speaking on the new series of his BBC show Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams, in footage filmed three weeks after the crash, Flintoff said: "I genuinely should not be here with what happened. It's going to be a long road back, and I'm only just starting. I've got to look at the positives don't I? I'm still here. I've got another chance, I've got to go at it. I'm seeing how it is – a second go."
Following spending weeks in hospital, Flintoff did not appear in public in the months after the crash, allowing time for his injuries to heal. Months after the footage filmed from his hospital bed, he is shown in the TV show speaking to former Lancashire teammate and close friend Kyle Hogg in July 2023.
"I thought I could just shake it off," said Flintoff. "I wanted to shake it off and say, 'here am I, I'm alright', but it's not been the case. It's been a lot harder than I thought.
"As much as I've wanted to go out and do things, I've just not been able to ... Everywhere I go at the moment, I've got a full face mask and glasses on. I struggle with anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks. It's been so hard to cope with. But I'm thinking if I don't do something, I'm never going to go. I've got to get on with it."
The second series of Field of Dreams follows on from the first where Flintoff and Hogg coached a group of teenagers in Preston, introducing them to cricket and forming them into a team. In the second series, the team goes on a tour of Kolkata, which had to be delayed for a year as Flintoff recovered.
In the show, Flintoff is asked by one of the players if he was "feeling 100 per cent". Flintoff replied: "Not really. I don't know if I will again, to be honest... I don't know what 'completely better' is. I am what I am now. I'm different to what i was. It's something that I'll probably have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better? No. Different."
Following the crash, Flintoff made a return to cricket, having been largely away from the game following his retirement as he pursued a TV career. He was part of England's white-ball coaching staff during the 2023 summer, and joined them at the T20 World Cup last June. He is currently the head coach of Northern Superchargers men in The Hundred.
Flintoff was also mentioned as a potential successor to Matthew Mott when it was announced last week that he had stepped down as England's white-ball head coach. It has since been reported, however, that Flintoff is not in the running for the job.
Series two of Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams will air next week on BBC One.
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