Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff is reportedly taking a break from his TV career following his brutal car crash while filming Top Gear last month. The 45-year-old former England cricketer was taken to hospital following an accident at the BBC show's test track in Surrey on Tuesday 13 December.
He is now believed to have been asked by his family to put his work on hold while he recovers from the facial injuries and broken ribs he was left with following the incident, according to The Sun. At the time, the BBC said Freddie's injuries were not life threatening, but a TV insider told The Sun he “could have been killed” in the crash and will need several months to get better.
“The full extent of his injuries will surprise many people, as the details of what happened have yet to fully emerge," they said. “He is putting his career on hold until he is in a better place mentally and physically, and can’t say when he will return to making TV shows."
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The insider said it was a “painful” decision for Freddie to take a break from work but that he knows “there are more important things in life”. He is said to be “determined to resume his TV work at some point”.
It's not the first time Freddie has been involved in an accident while filming Top Gear, having previously crashed a car in Mansfield town centre in 2019. Footage showed his car smashing through a barrier and into a market stall, but in that incident he escaped uninjured.
The crash last month, which happened at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, was more serious. The accident happened in freezing conditions and he was airlifted to hospital.
Filming has been suspended for the new series of Top Gear and there has been no announcement on when it will return. In December, Freddie's co-star Paddy McGuiness posted an update on Freddie's Instagram, saying the cricketer had received “so many well wishes and positivity” after the crash.
“@aflintoff11 is loved and will be up and at um before you know it!" he wrote. "The three of us are back this Sunday with more new @topgear including a trip to Italy, best family cars and our very own postal service! Obviously we filmed this ep earlier in the year. #topgear”
Piers Morgan previously said that Freddie had been left shaken after the accident, which reportedly occurred when a stunt went wrong. He told TalkSport in December: “I'm told it was a pretty serious crash and that Freddie's going to be OK, but it might be a little bit more serious than first appreciated.
"I'm told he's going to be OK which is great news, but I'm also told it was a pretty nasty bang and that he's had surgery and is recovering now and we'll have to wait and see.
"I've been in contact with them privately, but I just want to wish him and his family, Rachael his wife, all the very best and I think we're all just keeping our fingers crossed that the big man comes through alright."
An investigation was launched into the incident by the Health and Safety Executive, a government agency. A spokesman for the agency said on Friday: “We've completed our initial inquires into this incident and will not be investigating further.”
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