Freddie Flintoff moved fans to tears on Tuesday night as he opened up about experiencing “nightmares and flashbacks” following his horror Top Gear crash.
The former England cricket captain revealed that he struggled to leave the house after he was left with crippling anxiety in the wake of the accident in a new series of Freddie Flintoff Field of Dreams.
He was seriously injured after his three-wheeled vehicle flipped at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome while filming for Top Gear in December 2022.
The father-of-four described how he still suffers from "nightmares and flashbacks" and had struggled to even leave his home for months following the incident.
He said it had been "so hard to cope" from the physical and mental toll the crash had on him.
The 46-year-old spoke of his brush with death saying he "genuinely shouldn't be here" after the £43,000 Morgan Super 3 crashed.
Flintoff shared images of his injuries from a week and a half after the incident, which showed severe facial lacerations.
In his new series which aired on BBC but filmed seven months after the incident, he also tells a group of teenage cricketers he takes on tour to India he might need to leave to "go cry in my room" as he talked about the torment he had been through.
Flintoff reportedly reached a £9million settlement with the BBC over the crash which was paid for by the broadcaster's commercial arm. He also received an apology. Meanwhile Top Gear has been put on hiatus following the incident.
The cricketer-turned-broadcaster has been rarely seen in public since he was left with severe facial injuries and broken ribs. His wife Rachael, 42, reportedly "begged" him to stay off work so that he could recover.
However the England cricket hero who helped the team beat Australia in the Ashes in 2005 said the consequences of the incident will follow him "for the rest of my life" in the episode.
In the programme it is revealed he has undergone a series of operations. But apart from hospital appointments Flintoff said he has been finding it difficult to leave the house.
He said on the show: "I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say 'I'm alright' but it's not been a case of that. It's been a lot harder than I thought.
“As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I've just not been able to."
The England cricket legend’s candidness brought viewers to tears, with many applauding him on social media for sharing his struggles and confronting his demons so openly.Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one wrote: “Watching the new Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams and I could weep. Probably will. What a man. My absolutely hero since I was 13.”
“Wow. I hope Freddie Flintoff realises how brave he is,” another penned. “He is an inspiration to so many people. Bravery and courage are the words that spring to mind. Anxiety may be there but with this attitude he will get through anything.”
A third remarked: “Very emotional watching Field of Dreams. What a wonderful, brave, generous, lovely man is Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff. Great to see the lads again & Looking forward to watching the whole series.”
“Freddie Flintoff is so brave. To take these kids to India after a life-changing accident is so generous. And the joy of playing cricket in a Kolkata alley,” another commented.
Very emotional watching Field of Dreams. What a wonderful, brave, generous, lovely man is Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff. Great to see the lads again & Looking forward to watching the whole series. #FieldOfDreams
— Maureen StewartJones (@supergran22) August 14, 2024
Wow! I hope Freddie Flintoff realises how brave he is. He is an inspiration to SO many people! Bravery and courage are the words that spring to mind. Anxiety may be there, but with this attitude he will get through anything 💪🏻 #FieldOfDreams
— jodi ✨ (@jodielliman) August 13, 2024
On life after the accident he says: "As much as I want to go out and do things... I've just not been able to... 'I struggle with anxiety. I have nightmares and flashbacks, it's been so hard to cope."
On the show he says the teenage cricket team he formed from his hometown in Preston which he was taking to Kolkata in India had motivated him to overcome adversity and that the tough lives of some of the boys helped put his problems into perspective.
He tells former Lancashire teammate Kyle Hogg: "I think about it all the time and I think about going and how good it would be."
When the team arrives in India he says he is "reaching out to cricket to help me".
Flintoff adds: "Cricket is like a religion in India. It's just everywhere you go. And Kolkata is different to other places I've been to.
"To me, Kolkata is authentic India and the more time I spent there, the more I grew an affinity and a connection to the place because we all learnt so much and it's had such an impact on all of our lives."
