Freddie Flintoff said he suffered anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks after the horrific incident. Top Gear In his first comments since the accident, he said:
The former England cricket team captain recorded the video on his mobile phone from his hospital bed, acknowledging how hard he is trying to recover from his injuries. The video was taken just days after he was airlifted by helicopter from Dunsford Airfield in Surrey following the accident in sub-freezing temperatures in December 2022.
Flintoff has decided to resign. Top Gear As a result of his injury, the BBC has decided to “pause” the programme for the time being.
“If this is really what’s happening I shouldn’t be here. This is going to be a long time,” Flintoff, 46, said, slurring his words and struggling to speak. The road to recovery has only just begun, but it has already been a struggle.
“I need help, but I’m not good at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. I need to look at the positive side, you know? I’m still here, I have another chance. I need to try. I’m just trying to look at it as a second try.”
He produced a second series of videos. Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreamsis a BBC1 show that follows him as he takes a group of young novices from his hometown of Preston on a cricket tour to India.
The tour was postponed twice due to Flintoff’s ill mental health.
At right, Flintoff and his Top Gear co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. The show was taken off the air after Flintoff’s accident.
Ian West/PA
“I don’t want to sit there and feel sorry for myself, I don’t want any sympathy, but I was here for seven months and now I’m going to India,” he said after one postponement. “I’ve been battling anxiety, I’ve been having nightmares, flashbacks and it’s been really hard to deal with. But I feel like if I don’t do something, I’m never going. I have to go for it.”
He thought he’d “get better quickly,” but admitted his recovery has been “a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“I want to get out and do things, but I just can’t,” he said.
In one episode, when a producer asked him if he was feeling better, he said the accident had changed him forever.
“I don’t know what it means to be completely better. I’m not the same person I was before, and that’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life,” he said. “Better? No.”
After travelling to India with the boys to play against a local team, Flintoff said the trip had helped him get over the trauma of the accident.
Flintoff is currently head coach of The Hundred’s Northern Superchargers.
Nathan Stark/ECB/Getty Images
“When I play cricket I forget about everything else and I lose myself in the game,” he said. “I’ve felt more vulnerable over the last 12 months than I’ve ever felt in my life, so I’m turning to cricket for help.”
Following the incident, the BBC offered Flintoff a “sincere apology” and is said to have paid him £9 million to compensate him for lost income.
Flintoff has steadily gained more public attention since filming began. Field of Dreamswho returned to England’s backroom staff for this year’s T20 series against the West Indies and will serve as head coach of the Northern Superchargers for The Hundred.
Flintoff, who played 79 Test matches between 1998 and 2009 and was England’s hero in the 2005 Ashes, said he had never coached until recently but had long dreamed of becoming a coach.
In one scene Field of Dreams Flintoff, who was shot before the incident, said: “If I was applying to be England manager I might not say these things.” [boys] He has ‘coach’ written on his resume,” suggesting he already had aspirations of transitioning into coaching.
He also hinted at TV being an obstacle, saying at the recent premiere of the new series: “I’ve always loved TV. [cricket]I’ve always wanted to come back, but I probably shouldn’t say this, but I fell into the trap with all the TV stuff. I’d like to do more coaching. [and] I also watch a little TV. [Field of Dreams].”
The departure of Matthew Mott as England’s white-ball coach last week has led to speculation that Flintoff could be considered as a possible successor, but this may be difficult to achieve given his lack of experience.
New series Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams It will begin airing on BBC1 from 13 August.
