Andrew Flintoff’s life changed forever when he was involved in a near-fatal car crash while filming Top Gear in December 2022.
The England cricket legend had to be airlifted to hospital and has openly admitted in his new Disney+ documentary that will air in full on Friday that he wishes he had died after fearing his ‘face had come off’. His hero surgeon, Jahrad Haq, did not sugarcoat things either, branding Flintoff’s injuries ‘a top five trauma I’ve seen in 20 years’.
However, over two years on, Flintoff, 47, is getting back on track.
He is back coaching in the sport he loves, Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams continues to be a hit, and he has even presented a reboot of the popular 1980s TV show Bullseye.
It has been some turnaround from Flintoff, who has revealed he was so anxious about his facial injuries that it took him ’10 goes to leave my bedroom’ when he first came back into the public eye to rejoin the England setup.
Here, Mail Sport reflects on how Flintoff has got his smile back and reminded fans why he became a national treasure in the first place.
Andrew Flintoff feared his ‘face had come off’ after his horror Top Gear car crash in 2022
In less than two-and-a-half years, Flintoff has made a remarkable recovery (pictured in April 2025)
The former England cricket star has bounced back from losing a significant portion of his lips
The return to cricket – September 2023
In the immediate aftermath of his crash, Flintoff kept a low profile and he was not seen in public for months.
He did attend some of England’s thrilling drawn Ashes series with Australia in the summer of 2023, but went incognito and was not spotted.
After encouragement from close friend and England managing director Rob Key, Flintoff came back into the spotlight to help out during the national team’s limited-overs series with New Zealand in September 2023.
He was pictured watching on from the balcony with a bandage on his nose and significant scars by one nostril and on the right-hand side of his chin during their first one-day international.
But there was no hiding away from the former all-rounder, and two days later he was out on the field with the players, enjoying a laugh and getting involved in the warm-up as they prepared to take on the Kiwis again ahead of the World Cup later that year.
Flintoff was pictured with significant scarring on his face on the balcony during England’s one-day international with New Zealand in September 2023
Mr Jahrad Haq (pictured), Flintoff’s surgeon, had branded his injuries ‘a top five trauma I’ve seen in 20 years’
Flintoff was then down on the field to help the players prepare for their second match with New Zealand
He appeared in good spirits as he shared a laugh with the players
Caribbean calling – December 2023
Flintoff was not part of the coaching setup for England’s World Cup defence in October and November 2023.
Given how badly the tournament went for Jos Buttler’s men, that is probably a good thing.
But he was back with the limited-overs side when they travelled to the Caribbean in the lead-up to Christmas to face West Indies.
The man affectionately dubbed ‘Freddie’ has always had a way with words, and he gave a heartfelt speech as he presented leg-spinner Adil Rashid with his 100th cap before the first T20 international.
The pair then posed for a photo together, and this time there was no nose bandage, while the scarring had significantly reduced in the three months since he joined up with the England team.
Flintoff posed for a photo with Adil Rashid after presenting him with his 100th T20 cap, and had significantly less scarring on his face than three months earlier
T20 World Cup warm-up – May 2024
The tournaments were coming thick and fast for England, and only just over six months after their disastrous ODI World Cup campaign, they had a T20 title to defend.
Prior to that global event, they faced Pakistan in a warm-up series. Flintoff was on hand to deliver throw-downs for the players in the nets as he continued to settle back into cricket.
The team were happy to be in Flintoff’s presence, with multiple players speaking out about having the Ashes hero by their side.
Flintoff also seemed to be in a good place. A close-up photo of him before the fourth T20 international showed he still had visible scarring and a little redness on one side of his face, but it was clear he was continuing to take steps forward.
Flintoff had visible scarring and a little redness to his face in May 2024, but was clearly making progress with his recovery
He took a hands-on approach to training as he carried a baseball mitt and a ‘dog-stick’ for throw-downs for players in the nets
T20 World Cup – June 2024
It was back to the Caribbean in June last year as England looked to retain the trophy they won two years earlier.
Flintoff cut a relaxed figure as he worked alongside then-head coach Matthew Mott, although his bucket hat looked like it had seen better days!
England picked up wins against hosts West Indies, Namibia and USA, but fell short when it really mattered as they were beaten by Australia and South Africa, before being thrashed by eventual champions India in the semi-finals.
Mott was subsequently relieved of his duties, but Freddie had left a positive impression once more, with his scarring continuing to subside.
Flintoff was in a relaxed mood in the Caribbean, but England failed to defend their T20 title
Freddie’s first head coach role – July/August 2024
Flintoff had dipped his toe in the coaching waters for several months with England, and he was handed a head coach role in July when he took over the Northern Superchargers for the Hundred.
But first, he was happy to provide some advice for England Under-19s as they took on their Sri Lankan counterparts.
Flintoff was pictured speaking to the players, including his son Rocky, in the nets before they took to the field.
Then it was on to the Hundred for the latter part of July and into August.
Working alongside England star and Superchargers captain Harry Brook, Flintoff oversaw five wins in eight matches, with just two losses and a no result.
It was not quite enough to secure an eliminator spot as the Superchargers finished fourth in the table, but was still a steady start to life as a head coach, and Flintoff seemed to enjoy the added responsibility.
Flintoff was happy to give advice to an England Under-19s team that featured his son, Rocky
He had his beaming smile back as he enjoyed a steady start to life as head coach of the Northern Superchargers
Sri Lanka swansong – September 2024
Flintoff finished off the summer by returning to the England fold for the team’s final Test against Sri Lanka.
Once again, he took a hands-on approach in training and the redness from the scarring was less noticeable than ever, while he was then given the honour of presenting fast bowler Josh Hull with his debut cap.
Hull’s family struggled to hold back tears as Flintoff delivered a typically emotional speech and urged the youngster to grasp his opportunity with both hands.
England went on to lose the match at the Oval by eight wickets, but still won the series 2-1.
The redness from the scarring on Flintoff’s face was less noticeable than ever
Flintoff gave an emotional speech as he presented Josh Hull with his debut cap
Everyone was impressed by Flintoff’s speech before he embraced fast bowler Hull
The Jonathan Ross Show appearance – April 2025
After learning his trade with the senior team, Flintoff took charge of the England Lions over the winter as he looked to develop the next generation of international cricketers.
That was largely done away from the spotlight, but he was back on the TV earlier this month when he appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show.
Flintoff’s scarring was less visible than ever as he appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show
Flintoff shared a laugh with Ross and fellow guest Rebel Wilson (right)
Having not been seen by many fans in over six months, viewers were delighted that Flintoff’s scarring was less visible once more.
Small scars could still be seen on the right-hand side of his face, but it was evident that Flintoff was getting his confidence back as he shared laughs with Ross and fellow guest Rebel Wilson.
