Paddy McGuinness reportedly believes he deserved a pay out after Top Gear was taken off air by the BBC.
The long-running series, which first aired in 1977 and has seen the likes of Angela Rippon, Jeremy Clarkson and Matt LeBlanc as hosts, was canned following Freddie Flintoff’s horror crash in 2022.
The pro cricket player, 47, suffered a near-fatal crash when the open-top vehicle he was driving flipped and he was dragged for 50 metres underneath the car face down on the track.
He was airlifted to a hospital from Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey with severe facial and rib injuries and was said to be ‘lucky to be alive’.
Months later, after speculation over the future of the show, the BBC announced Top Gear would be taken off air for the foreseeable future.
The broadcaster confirmed it would be pausing production on the hit motoring series, co-presented by former Take Me Out host, Freddie and automotive journalist Chris Harris, as it was felt it would be ‘inappropriate’, adding there would be a health and safety review.
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It was later revealed that Freddie reached a settlement with the BBC worth £9,000,000, after he was forced to miss out on two years of earnings while he recovered.
However, it’s now been claimed Paddy, 51, also believed he should have received a sum.
A source told Mail Online: ‘Paddy was moaning because he had lost his job, the show went so really it was a case of him being made redundant.
‘It was a big income for him and suddenly it was gone after Freddie’s accident.
‘He couldn’t understand why he didn’t get a pay out, I guess you can see his point. Freddie did get one but he was so badly injured.
‘His life changed, he didn’t leave the house for months and months and while it was sad for Paddy that his job had gone, he did go on to find other work.’
Paddy and Chris went on to front a new BBC show, Paddy and Chris: Road Tripping, while Freddie remained out of the spotlight for months as he recovered.
He’s now sharing his healing journey and recalling the horrific accident in a Disney Plus documentary.
Flintoff sees the star’s rise to becoming the world renowned cricketer he is, with clips showing him as a teenager and through his sporting years, as well as reflecting on the physical and mental scars he’s been left with after the crash.
In the documentary, Freddie opened up about his former Top Gear co-hosts Chris and Paddy, after the latter revealed in March 2024 that they hadn’t spoken in 10 months.
He explained that they ‘had been in contact’, recalling a recent meet-up that he had with Chris.
‘He got a bit upset, I got a bit upset. It was really nice to see him. And I feel bad I haven’t been more in contact, with him and Paddy. I think there’s some comments on Paddy a while ago saying “I’ve not spoke to him, I’ve not done this that or the other,”‘ Freddie said.
‘And part of it is, for myself a little bit. Do you know what I mean? I hate the word “triggering” but I’m worried about that.’
He continued: ‘It’s also something [that] stopped in some ways because of what happened to me. Their careers have been altered as well, so I feel, not guilty, but I feel bad for them. And also it’s like, what happened gets dragged up enough in my own head without adding to that.’
Early last year, Paddy also admitted he hadn’t spoken to Freddie in a while, saying on Good Morning Britain: ‘He’s all right. I’ve not spoken to him for a while, but, you know, he is getting on with it.
‘He’s a very resilient character, is Fred. So I’ve no doubt he’ll be right as rain.’
Metro has approached Paddy McGuinness’ reps for comment.
Flintoff is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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