Freddie Flintoff

Freddie Flintoff was injured in the crash which happened at Dunsfold Aerodrome near Cranleigh in Surrey, where the former cricketer had been filming for BBC One’s Top Gear

Freddie Flintoff has told how his two-year-old son wouldn’t go near him after his horror Top Gear crash.

The former professional cricketer, 47, said he became “a snappy mess” following the smash which happened during filming for the BBC One programme at Dunsfold Aerodrome near Cranleigh, Surrey. The three-wheeled Morgan supercar overturned on the track and Freddie, who played cricket for England for 11 years, dragged his face along the ground, cutting open the side of his nose, cheek and lips, and shattering his jawbone and teeth.

But he has spoken this week of how traumatic the mental injuries were, revealing for the first time how the ordeal impacted his children. Freddie, who had PTSD following the accident, said: “(After the crash) I would get snappy and angry.

“The kids were incredible… It was the younger one, Preston, because he would have been about two, two and a half, at the time and he wouldn’t come near me to begin with because I was a mess.”

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Top Gear was shelved following the crash, and Freddie reportedly received £9m in compensation from BBC Studios, who make the show. Yet, the star has spoken since at how the experience changed his life, including how he wouldn’t leave his home – except for medical appointments – for six to eight months in the wake of it.

But the former fast bowler, a Lancashire Cricket Club legend, has now said he is on the road to recovery, to a great extent thanks to wife Rachael Wools, whom he wed in March 2005.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Freddie said: “I have flashbacks and nightmares, but I’ve probably got more of an acceptance of them now.

“I suppose that the biggest thing it did do, was brought me back to cricket. Family and friends and cricket have been things that now, have probably helped me more than anything. It’s all good now. But Rachael was strong. I suppose she had to be for both of us.”

Freddie, originally from Preston, Lancashire, has returned to TV work in recent months too. A second series of Freddie’s Field of Dreams – in which he creates a brand-new cricket team with a group of promising teens and inspires a fresh generation – aired on the BBC in 2024. The BBC has given the green light for a third series, it is understood.

And the dad was chosen to front the revival of game show Bullseye, which returned as a trial on Christmas Day last year on ITV. It became so popular ITV commissioned Bullseye for a full series, which is set to broadcast before the year is out.

Watch Freddie’s full interview on Thursday on Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has been tipped in some quarters as the next England head coach, but the man himself insists Brendon McCullum is the best man for the job and he has no interest in replacing the Kiwi

Andrew Flintoff insists he has no interest in succeeding Brendon McCullum as England head coach. Flintoff is overseeing the fortunes of England Lions and Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, having returned to cricket following his Top Gear crash that left him with severe facial and rib injuries.

He has been linked with the top England post, possibly if McCullum opts against extending his contract with the national side that covers all three formats and runs up to and including the 2027 World Cup. But Flintoff rejected the notion, instead choosing to highlight how big a fan of McCullum he is, likening the New Zealander’s influence to Sir Gareth Southgate with the England football team from 2016-24.

Asked about the prospect of taking over from McCullum, the 2005 Ashes hero told the Stick to Cricket podcast: “It’s not something I’m looking at, Baz McCullum is incredible – the best England coach.

“He’s unbelievable and the culture he’s created is incredible. It’s similar to what Gareth Southgate did with the football lads; they are not just good players but great lads as well.

“I’m enjoying working under Keysy (England managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key), it’s no secret he’s one of my best mates and he’s helped me so much in other things. With Baz, we’ve got a great relationship and the utmost respect.”

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Flintoff, a former England captain, initially joined then white-ball head coach Matthew Mott’s backroom team on an ad-hoc basis in September 2023 although he did not travel to that year’s World Cup in India.

He was, however, involved afterwards and part of England’s coaching staff at last year’s T20 World Cup, which following a semi-final exit led to Australian Mott’s sacking.

Flintoff last year lifted the Superchargers to within a whisker of the knockout stages in his first season, after they had finished bottom of the standings the year before, while he presided over a tour to Australia last winter with the Lions, who have recently drawn two unofficial Tests against India A.

The 47-year-old former all-rounder added: “Honestly, at the moment, I feel as though I’m in the perfect place working with the Lions. I don’t see this as a stepping stone to anything else, I’m invested in this and get a chance to work with these lads.

“I’m not looking at the franchise world or anything else, although I do the Northern Superchargers which came around last year and I enjoy working with (Superchargers captain) Harry Brook on that.

“I’ve been guilty of, in the TV world and in retirement, of always looking for the next thing, chasing things.

“I’m actually really happy, working with great lads and great staff around me. I think ‘I’ve got a job to do here’ and it’s not like ‘what’s next?’.”