On Air Now
Heart's Club Classics with Toby Anstis 7pm - 11pm
What happened to Freddie Flintoff? Top Gear car crash, injuries and recovery explained
17 April 2025, 16:07
- Freddie Flintoff, 47, will open up about the Top Gear car crash in a new Disney+ documentary called 'Flintoff'
- The former-cricketer was involved in the life-changing accident in December 2022 and took seven months out of the spotlight to recover from his injuries
- Listen on Global Player now: Legends of the Ashes, Narrated by Stephen Fry
Freddie Flintoff was involved in a horrific car crash while filming Top Gear back in 2022 - here's a detailed explanation of what happened, the injuries he sustained and his recovery.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Freddie Flintoff, 47, will speak candidly for the first time about his Top Gear car crash, which left him with life-changing injuries, in a new Disney+ documentary titled 'Flintoff'.
The documentary will see the former cricketer reveal details (and footage) of the crash, and share the hard-truths about the aftermath; from his long and painful recovery to the effect the accident had on his wife, Rachael, and the rest of his friends and family.
For Freddie, real name Andrew, everything changed one day in December 2022 when he tried out the Morgan Super 3 at the Top Gear Test Track, resulting in the car flipping and sliding across the track.
After taking seven months away from the public eye, Freddie will return to share his harrowing story in the new documentary, release on April 25. Until then, here's everything we know about the car crash, his injuries and recovery.
When and how did Freddie Flintoff's car crash happen?
Freddie Flintoff was involved in a car crash while filming Top Gear back in December 2022.
The former-cricketer had been hosting the hit driving show for two years, alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, at the time of the horrific accident.
Freddie has been trying out an open-topped three-wheel Morgan Super 3 at the Top Gear Test Track, the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, when the car flipped over and slid along the track.
The vehicle did not have airbags, however, Freddie and a crew member were wearing helmets. Despite this, Freddie was so badly injured he had two be airlifted to hospital.
What were Freddie Flintoff's injuries?
Freddie Flintoff's injuries from the car crash included facial injuries and broken ribs.
"I remember everything about it," Freddie says in the trailer for 'Flintoff': "It's so vivid, this is what I'm left with. I've lived under the radar for seven months, one of the real frustrations was the speculation, that’s why I’m doing this now, (about) what actually happened."
The TV star made his recovery in private, revealing the extent of the scarring on his face when he returned to the public eye in December 2024, hosting the Christmas special of darts-themed ITV quiz show 'Bullseye'.
Has Freddie Flintoff recovered from his car crash?
Freddie has opened up about the painful recovery process following the life-changing accident, admitting that he doesn't believe he will ever return to his prior self.
Speaking for the first time in detail about the crash on Freddie Flintoff's 'Field of Dreams', the TV star said: "I genuinely should not be here with what happened. This will be a long road back and I've only just started. I'm stuck already. I need help, and I realise I'm not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes.
"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."
Freddie added: "I thought I could just shake it off, but it’s not been a case of that. It's been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I've wanted to go out and do things, I've just not been able to."
"I was full of anxiety," he went on in the series: "I had nightmares, I had flashbacks. It's been so hard to cope with. But some of these lads have had a tough life. You've got to try and put it into perspective and I feel guilty I can't do that. I don't want to sit here and feel sorry for myself, I don't want sympathy."
When asked if he thinks he will ever become 100% better, he 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."
