Freddie Flintoff is reportedly putting his TV career on hold following his horrific car crash on Top Gear.
The former England cricketer, 45, was asked by his family to take a break from work while he recovers from severe facial injuries, The Sun reports.
A TV insider told the newspaper that Flintoff "could have been killed" in the crash and needs several months off to fully recover.
“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."
The insider added that the decision "will be a painful one" for Freddie but that he knows "there are more important things in life".
However, Freddie is said to be "determined to resume his TV work at some point".
The sportsman was reviewing a car at Surrey's Dunsfold Aerodrome in freezing temperatures on December 13 when he crashed. He was airlifted to hospital with facial injuries and broken ribs.
Filming for the new series of Top Gear has since been suspended and there has been no announcement on its return. Co-star Paddy McGuiness posted an update on Freddie to Instagram in December, saying the cricketer had recieved "so many well wishes and positivity" following the accident.
"@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 revealed that Freddie had been left shaken by the smash, which reportedly happened when a stunt went wrong at the Top Gear test track.
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, Rachel 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 also launched into the accident by the Health and Safety Executive, the 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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