Freddie Flintoff has been pictured looking cheerful, 18 months after his horror crash (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Freddie Flintoff has been pictured looking cheerful, 18 months after his horror Top Gear crash.
In December 2022, the pro cricket player was said to be ‘lucky to be alive’ after crash at the Top Gear test track during filming at Dunsfold Aerdrome in Surrey.
It was reported that the star driving an open-topped car at the high speed of 130mph when it flipped and slid along the track, and he had to be airlifted to hospital.
He suffered from severe facial injuries and broken ribs, and has since largely remained out of the spotlight, but will be returning to our screens soon with the second season of Field of Dreams.
Freddie has now been pictured as he continues to recover from the crash, with facial injuries still seen around his nose and mouth.
The 46-year-old was spotted in London on Friday, enjoying the sunshine as he dressed down in shorts, a grey jumper, and white crocs.
He appeared to be chatting to friends and smiling outside a hotel near Soho.
The cricketer was pictured on Friday in London (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Freddie’s facial injuries appear to be healing (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Freddie soaked up the sunshine in a grey jumper (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
This comes as he prepares to return to our screens with a second season of his cricketing programme.
Months after Top Gear was taken off air, Freddie returned to filming a different BBC programme.
The BBC announced it would be pausing production on the hit motoring 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 last November, 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.’
This comes ahead of his TV return (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
He appeared to look cheerful outside the hotel in Soho (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Freddie sported white crocs (Picture: CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Months later, Freddie was pictured filming the new series of Field of Dreams, with an air date yet to be announced.
The cricket documentary will see Freddie take his young sports team, from his home city of Preston, on tour, and follows the first season which aired in July 2022.
The original press release for the four-part series teases: ‘Freddie is setting himself an even bigger challenge as he takes some of his team and a handful of fresh recruits on a new adventure.’
Freddie said at the time: ‘Working with the boys was one of the most incredible experiences of my life but the work is not finished yet! I’m really pleased we’ll be continuing the hard work we have all put in, but on a much bigger scale.’
Earlier this year, a source claimed that Freddie was ‘healing’ and returning to his greatest passions with ‘nervous first steps’.
Freddie has since largely remained out of the spotlight (Picture: Philip Brown/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Top Gear has been taken off air (Picture: BBC Stutios/Rex Shutterstock)
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Speaking of the show, they said: ‘This will be a huge comfort to his fans because it shows he’s healing well and returning to two of his greatest passions — sport and television.
‘It’s obvious that there is some scarring, which everyone expected, but Freddie looks to have made huge progress since he was last seen in public playing cricket.’
The insider added to The Sun: ‘He’s clearly comfortable enough to get in front of a camera again — something which was not the case this time last year.
‘They’re nervous first steps, as he’s recovering both mentally and physically, but the TV show he’s making is a real passion project for him.’
Top Gear is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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