Freddie Flintoff has opened up about his return to the world of cricket, calling it the “one good thing” to come from the car crash which changed his life.
The sportsman was left with significant facial injuries that required surgery following the gruesome incident, which occurred while he was filming for Top Gear in December 2022. The accident caused the BBC to suspend production on the show for the “foreseeable future”, deeming it inappropriate to continue. He received £9m in compensation as a result of the crash.
Britain’s most renowned cricketer subsequently developed anxiety over leaving his house and almost entirely stepped away from public life following the accident.
Speaking to The Times, Flintoff said that, although he’ll be dealing with the ramifications of the crash for the rest of his life, there is a positive consequence. “If there is one good thing that has come out of it, it’s getting back into cricket,” he told the outlet.
The sportsman, who explores the ramifications of his accident in a new Disney+ documentary, said he struggles with flashbacks from the accident in his day-to-day life, but doesn’t experience the same trauma when he’s involved with cricket.
“It’s always going to be there, but in a strange way, I’ve got an acceptance of it now. I’m not fighting it,” he added. “I still get flashbacks at night and anxiety and other stuff but I know it’s happening and I’m accepting of it. When I’m around cricket I don’t get it; I’ve found comfort in the dressing room again.
“It has made me appreciate the game and the people a hell of a lot and made me realise that this is the place where I want to be. This is the place I feel most comfortable and this is what I get the most pleasure from, get most excited about and I care about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still do the odd Bullseye now and again because I’ve got bills to pay, but it’s cricket first and everything else on my terms to fit around that.”
Flintoff hosted a reboot of the darts-themed quiz show Bullseye for a Christmas special in 2024.
The former England all-rounder returned to cricket in 2023, helping out with coaching during England’s largely second-team series against Ireland. He was appointed head coach of the Hundred side Northern Superchargers for the 2024 season, working closely with England batter Harry Brook, and was also part of the coaching staff during the T20 World Cup.
The 47-year-old revealed that took him “10 goes to leave my bedroom” due to anxiety on his first morning as an England coach in 2023 and how he felt in awe of Ben Stokes when bumping into him in the hotel lift.
“I didn’t really know him [Stokes] then. I’ve built a great relationship with him since, but I was anxious about that, standing in the lift with him. We were both stood there. He’s ‘Stokesy’ and I am supposed to be like that, I suppose, but I didn’t feel like that.
“Slowly but surely I started to find my feet. And sitting on the balcony and being pictured. Even the press were nice about me. It’s amazing what an accident can do.”
New documentary Flintoff premieres in the UK and Ireland on Disney+ on 25 April.
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