Freddie Flintoff’s facial injuries on the mend 18 months after Top Gear crash
Freddie Flintoff is on the road to recovery (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
Freddie Flintoff’s injuries are healing following his terrifying Top Gear crash.
Flintoff was taken to hospital in December 2022 after he was left with facial and rib injuries in a crash at a test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
While Flintoff kept a low profile initially, he has slowly but surely started returning to the public eye in recent months.
The England coach was pictured today (May 20) during a nets session at Headingley, Leeds ahead of the first T20 International against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Dressed in black sportswear, the athlete appeared in high spirits as he smiled.
Flintoff shielded his eyes from the sun with shades, but scarring was visible across his face, particularly around his mouth and nose.
The star was pictured with scarring this week (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
The England coach attended a nets session at Headingley, Leeds ahead of the first T20 International against Pakistan (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
The 46-year-old pro cricketer was previously said to be ‘lucky to be alive’ after his horror crash.
At the time, he had been driving an open-topped car going at 130mph when it flipped and slid along the track, and Flintoff had to be airlifted to hospital.
Following the horrific incident, hit motoring show Top Gear was taken off air, with an announcement confirming it will be rested for the ‘foreseeable future’.
The BBC shared that it would pause production on the series, co-presented by Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness and automotive journalist Chris Harris, as it was felt it would be ‘inappropriate’, adding there would be a health and safety review.
In a statement given, the BBC said: ‘Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
‘The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them.
‘We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.’
Flintoff appeared in good spirits (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
He’s gradually made a return to public life (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
‘All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.’
Addressing Flintoff’s recovery, co-presenter McGuinness – who made his Top Gear debut alongside Flintoff in 2019 – gave an update to Good Morning Britain in February.
‘He’s all right. I’ve not spoken to him for a while, but, you know, he is getting on with it,’ he told the ITV daytime show.
McGuinness added: ‘He’s a very resilient character, is Fred. So I’ve no doubt he’ll be right as rain.’
Asked if he ever experienced hair-raising moments while filming the show, McGuinness joked: ‘Working with Chris Harris was the main one for me, that is a bit much.
‘Lots of things, honestly. I sound like a politician now, but I can’t really get into the ins and outs, because there’s all stuff still going on with Top Gear.
‘At some point, it will all get sorted out.’
Freddie was airlifted to hospital in December 2022 (Picture: PA)
Flintoff was left with facial and rib injuries in a crash (Picture: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
In addition, BBC Studios said a health and safety production review of Top Gear, which did not cover the accident but instead looked at previous seasons, found that ‘while BBC Studios had complied with the required BBC policies and industry best practice in making the show, there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions.’
A statement added: ‘The report includes a number of recommendations to improve approaches to safety as Top Gear is a complex programme-making environment routinely navigating tight filming schedules and ambitious editorial expectations – challenges often experienced by long-running shows with an established on and off-screen team.
‘Learnings included a detailed action plan involving changes in the ways of working, such as increased clarity on roles and responsibilities and better communication between teams for any future Top Gear production.’
The investigation looked at series 32, 33 and production of series 34 up to the December 22 accident.
Top Gear has since been taken off air (Picture: PA)
There was a separate investigation into Flintoff’s crash which was concluded in March of this year and those findings will not be published.
Meanwhile, Flintoff is expected back on TV screens for a second season of Field of Dreams.
The TV star has already been pictured filming the new series, though an air date has yet to be announced.
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