Andrew Flintoff has opened up on his relationship with former Top Gear co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris more than two years after his near-fatal car crash in December 2022.
The former England cricket star turned television presenter was left with horrific injuries after the car he was testing on the BBC motoring show flipped over and slipped along the track at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.
The vehicle had no air bags and the crash left Flintoff with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs.
Flintoff – who is also known by his nickname, Freddie – didn’t leave his house for around six to seven months as the public were initially kept in the dark over how seriously he had been injured after he was dragged along the track, face down, for 50 metres.
But, in a new Disney+ documentary called ‘Flintoff’, which takes an intimate and unprecedented look into 47-year-old’s life, vivid details of the crash and his subsequent recovery is laid bare.
And, within the 98 minute programme, Flintoff revealed that he has barely spoken to McGuiness and Harris, despite having an extremely close bond with the pair while on the show.
Andrew Flintoff opened up on his relationship with Paddy McGuinness in a new documentary
Flintoff was left with serious facial injuries and several broken ribs after a near-fatal car crash when he was filming BBC motoring show Top Gear alongside McGuinness in December 2022
Flintoff (pictured in 2018) revealed he has barely spoken to McGuiness or Chris Harris
‘We’ve been in contact,’ he said. ‘When I saw Chris we hugged each other, he got upset and I got a little bit upset.
‘I feel bad I haven’t been more in contact with him and Paddy. I think there were some comments that I’ve not spoken with Paddy for a while and part of it is for myself a little bit.
‘I hate the word triggering… but I’m worried about that. It’s also something that has stopped because of what’s happened to me. Their careers have been halted as well.
‘So I feel bad for them and also it’s like what happened gets dragged up enough in my own head without adding to that (by seeing them).’
During the eye-opening documentary, Flintoff, who is one of England’s greatest ever cricketers and a star who transcended sport, also spoke candidly about his battle to recover from the injuries.
Surgeon Mr Jahrad Haz, who appeared on the documentary, explained the damage Flintoff had suffered was in the top five facial traumas he had seen in more than 20 years of operating, with several graphic images of the injuries displayed during the programme.
And Flintoff heartbreakingly revealed that at points he had wished he hadn’t survived the crash given the impact it had on him.
‘It’s hard,’ he said. ‘After the accident I didn’t think I had it in me to get through. This sounds awful but part of me wishes I had been killed and wishes I had died.
Unaired footage of the aftermath feature in the cricketing legend’s Disney+ documentary
Flintoff revealed that keeping his distance from McGuiness was partly for his own recovery
The new Disney+ documentary gives vivid details of the crash and his subsequent recovery
Flintoff re-emerged in public life when he began working with England in September 2023
‘I didn’t want to kill myself but I was just not wishing, but I was thinking this would’ve been so much easier.’
The programme also included coverage of Flintoff’s return to public life and his ability to deal with the struggles he has faced.
‘Now I try to take the attitude the sun will come up tomorrow and my kids will still give me a hug,’ he added. ‘And I’m probably in a better place now.’
Flintoff did reveal that he still struggles with nightmares about the crash along with PTSD and anxiety, but he opened up on the positive impact that returning to cricket has had on his well being.
In 2023, he joined England’s coaching staff as a mentor for an ODI series against New Zealand.
Since then, he has worked in a variety of roles with the England’s white-ball team, spent time with England Under 19s side, while he is also head coach of Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
He was then appointed as boss of England Lions, effectively England’s second team, last September, and he has been widely praised for his impact by several players.
And his wife Rachael Wools Flintoff, who appears prominently in the documentary, added: ‘I do think cricket saved him. It gave him a reason for being again.’
Flintoff is available exclusively on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland from Friday, April 25.
