Freddie Flintoff is getting set for his TV comeback as he films a new project this week – after a horror crash on Top Gear put him out of action for months.
The Ashes hero, 46, is now filming a second series of his BBC cricket show Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams.
It comes as new pictures of him out and about show that his facial injuries look substantially more healed than during his last public appearance seven months ago in September 2023.
Freddie was ‘lucky to be alive’ after his is open-topped three-wheel 130mph Morgan Super 3 car, which had no air bags, flipped over in December 2022, leaving him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs.
Following the near-fatal crash, the BBC announced that it would pause Top Gear – and in November last year it was rested for the ‘foreseeable future’.
Freddie Flintoff is getting set for his TV comeback as he films new project after horror Top Gear crash – as new photos (above) show his injuries are healing
Freddie was ‘lucky to be alive’ after his is open-topped three-wheel 130mph Morgan Super 3 car, which had no air bags, flipped over in December 2022, leaving him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs (seen last here in September 2023)
Freddie, who is still recovering from his ‘life-altering significant’ injuries, is understood to have negotiated a £9million settlement with the corporation for two years’ loss of earnings as a result of the crash.
A source told The Sun of his return to filming: ‘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.
‘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.’
The first Field of Dreams series featured him returning to his home city of Preston to recruit youngsters to the sport.
In the next series he takes them to India – where the sport is hugely popular.
The new images of Freddie were taken in Sri Lanka where he recently met members of the Lancashire Cricket Academy on tour.
The Ashes hero, 46, is now filming a second series of his BBC cricket show Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams (seen with Sri Lankan cricket coach Muttiah Muralitharan)
His facial injuries were seen for the first time when he joined up with the England cricket squad in September 2023
The first Field of Dreams series featured him returning to his home city of Preston to recruit youngsters to the sport
He smiled as he posed with Sri Lankan cricket coach Muttiah Muralitharan.
Flintoff was driving a Morgan Super 3 – a lightweight ‘trackday’ sports car with two wheels at the front and one at the back – at the Dunsfold test track near Guildford, Surrey on December 13 2022 when it overturned.
The open-top car has no airbags, and the cricketer was not wearing a helmet when the car flipped at around 22mph – meaning he ‘scraped’ his face along the tarmac in horrific scenes witnessed by the TV production crew.
Flintoff reportedly required a number of surgeries following the crash, suffering broken ribs and facial bones after being dragged along the road.
Several members of staff who witnessed it were signed off sick, having reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – a claim the BBC has denied.
He retreated from the limelight at the behest of his family in order to recover, breaking cover for the first time last year to coach England cricketers.
Flintoff was photographed for the first time in public since the crash in September and had visible facial injuries as he joined up with the squad for their one-day international series against New Zealand.
Flintoff had joined Top Gear as a host in 2019 alongside Paddy McGuinness. They joined Chris Harris from the 27th series of the BBC Two show in the main presenting line-up.
In a statement on Top Gear in November, the BBC said: ‘Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
In the next series he takes them to India – where the sport is hugely popular (seen before the crash)
Filming was suspended on the most recent series of Top Gear after the crash (pictured: Flintoff with co-presenters Chris Harris, left, and Paddy McGuinness, right)
Flintoff was driving a Morgan Three-Wheeler open-top sports car (stock) when it overturned during filming at Dunsfold near Guildford in Surrey
Flintoff has been in a mentoring role with the England side since the summer series with New Zealand
The former all-rounder played a crucial role in England’s 2005 Ashes winning series
‘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.
‘All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.’