Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has broken the silence about his near-fatal car accident in a new trailer for his show Field of Dreams.
The 46-year-old star is the host of the new series, which sees him put together a team of non-cricketers with the aim of taking them on tour to India.
But the trip was nearly cancelled after his crash in December 2022, when Freddie’s car overturned at Dunsfold Airport in Surrey. He was lucky to be alive.
In the trailer, which Freddie shared on his Instagram on Tuesday, Freddie says of the incident: “But something happened that changed my life forever.”
He also tells the players: ‘We’re all going to discover something about ourselves – myself included.’
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has broken his silence about his near-fatal car crash in a new trailer for his show Field of Dreams
The 46-year-old star is the host of the new series in which he assembles a team of non-cricketers with the aim of taking them on tour to India
The group of lads are all from Freddie’s hometown of Preston and he tells them emotionally: ‘Of what I’ve done in my career, you boys are my greatest achievement.’
He says, “I want to take you on tour. I want to take you to India,” before adding, “I want the boys to learn to step outside their comfort zone.
“I hope and pray that all the boys will seize these opportunities – and that they will grab them with both hands.”
The accident left scars on his face, which are still visible but seem to be healing.
Fans of the star are relieved that he is making a speedy recovery now that he is the new head coach of the Superchargers.
Although Freddie initially kept a low profile after the incident, he has come back into the spotlight in recent months.
Although the injuries were initially clearly visible, they are now beginning to fade somewhat.
BBC bosses said it was “inappropriate” to continue filming Top Gear after the events.
In the trailer, which Freddie shared on his Instagram on Tuesday, Freddie says of the incident: ‘But something happened that changed my life forever’
But the trip was nearly cancelled after his crash in December 2022, when Freddie’s car overturned at Dunsfold airfield in Surrey – leaving him ‘lucky to be alive’
In a statement, the broadcaster said: ‘Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to suspend the UK show for the foreseeable future.
‘The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy, who have played a key role in the show’s revival since 2019, and we are excited about the new projects we are developing with each of them.
“We will have more to say about this soon. We know it will be disappointing news for fans to see the show shut down, but it is the right thing to do.”
Freddie was first seen in public after the accident in September last year, when he was photographed with cuts to his face.
He was spotted making a return to England senior cricket by joining the coaching staff at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff for the One-Day International series against New Zealand and taking him on as a mentor.
It wasn’t the first time that serious injuries had occurred during the filming of Top Gear. Both Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson have previously spoken of horrific accidents that left them in need of urgent medical attention while filming the BBC show.
After the accident, Freddie’s wife Rachael reportedly begged him not to come to work, a move that may have influenced his decision to return to the relatively quiet world of cricket, rather than the increasingly risky lifestyle he led before his accident.
A source told The Sun: ‘As a loving husband and father, he understands the anguish his family feel over what has happened, knowing he could have been killed. However, he is determined to return to his TV work at some point.
It wasn’t the first time filming for Top Gear has resulted in serious injuries – both Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson have spoken of crashes that left them needing urgent medical attention.
‘Therefore, this decision will be painful for Freddie, but he knows that, for now at least, there are more important things in life.’
And Freddie’s son Rocky looks set to follow in his father’s footsteps in cricket after hitting a stunning century for England Under-19s on the third day of their second unofficial Test match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
The 16-year-old teenage player scored a three-figure score of 82 from 176 balls on the night before being dismissed for 106 five balls later.
Rocky signed his first professional contract with Lancashire last month after earning a lot of money for the second team, scoring 106 points and helping England Under-19s beat the Young Lions Invitational XI in Loughborough.
At 16, Rocky became the youngest player to score a century for England U19s.
He is keen to follow in his father’s footsteps as Andrew has played 79 Tests, 141 One-Day Internationals and seven T20s during his illustrious career.
The all-rounder, who played for England from 1999 to 2009, was indispensable during the historic Ashes match between England and Australia in 2005.