Freddie Flintoff cried 'every two minutes' after 2022 Top Gear crash

Freddie Flintoff has detailed the mental scars he was left with after his 2022 car crash credit:Bang Showbiz
Freddie Flintoff has detailed the mental scars he was left with after his 2022 car crash credit:Bang Showbiz

Freddie Flintoff cried "every two minutes" after his horror 'Top Gear' crash.

The 46-year-old TV star stepped away from the spotlight after sustaining facial injuries and broken ribs in the 2022 accident, which ultimately led to 'Top Gear' being shelved, and he has broken his silence in an emotional docuseries.

Speaking on his second instalment of the BBC series 'Freddie Flintoff: Field Of Dreams on Tour', he said: "Week and a half after my accident. Genuinely should not be here after what happened. This is going to be a long road back and I have only just started and I am struggling already. I need help. I really am not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes."

The former international cricketer - who had a similar, near-fatal smash in 2006 - struggled to "shake it off" and was afraid to leave his home, but he bravely took young cricket hopefuls from Preston on a tour in India, just months later.

He said: "I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say 'here I am, I'm alright'. But it's not been a case of that, it's been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I have just not been able to.

"All the way through this when I was in hospital, I was thinking 'right it's March I was aiming towards March' and then September I was aiming towards that. It's always been a little bit unachievable. I think about it all the time [going to India]. I think about going, how good it'll be. I rewind and I am thinking 'I am not leaving the house either'. We have got to get on a plane and be away for two and a half weeks."

Flintoff's mental health also suffered with the star suffering "nightmares" and "flashbacks".

He went on: "But some of those lads have had a tough life, you've got to put it into perspective. 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, but it's going from being in here for seven months really and then going to India for two and a half weeks.

"Everywhere I go at the minute I have got a full face mask and glasses. I can't do that. I struggle with anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks. It has been so hard to cope with. But I'm thinking, if I don't do something I'll never do owt. I've got to get on with it."

The second series of 'Freddie Flintoff: Field Of Dreams on Tour' is set to start on BBC One from August 14.