Freddie Flintoff has opened up about the high-speed crash on Top Gear that he says left him suffering with “nightmares” and “anxiety”.
The former cricketer was involved in a near-fatal accident while filming the motoring show back in December 2022, which eventually prompted the BBC to shut down production indefinitely.
Speaking publicly about the aftermath while filming his cricket series Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour, the former sporting star revealed the lasting psychological effects of the crash which left him with serious facial injuries.
“I genuinely should not be here after what happened,” he said, as reported by the BBC.
“I don’t want to sit and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want sympathy. I’m struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks – it’s been so hard to cope.”
The new series shows the former England all-rounder in hospital shortly after the crash, where he explained: “It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started. I’m going to need help. I really am. I’m not the best at asking for it.”
He went on: “I’ve got to look at the positives, haven’t I? I’m still here, I’ve got another chance, I’ve got to go at it. I’m seeing that as how it is, a second go.”
When asked if he was feeling at all better, Freddie replied: “Not really, I’m not sure I ever will again to be honest. I’m better than I was.
“I don’t know what completely better is. I am what I am now, I’m different to what I was, that’s something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better, no, different.”
Since the crash, the BBC has paid the former host £9 million in compensation.
At the time Freddie’s teenage son Corey told the Daily Mail that his dad was “lucky to be alive” after the accident.
“It was a pretty nasty crash,” he added. “It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he’s going to be OK.”