lost their way
Freddie Flintoff reveals why he hardly sees Top Gear co-stars Paddy McGuinness & Chris Harris – & ‘guilt’ about careers
Freddie makes a number of heartbreaking admissions in his new Disney+ documentary
FREDDIE Flintoff has revealed why he now hardly sees his Top Gear co-stars Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
The 47-year-old former cricketer worked with the pair on the BBC motoring show from 2019 until 2022, when he had a horrific car crash during filming.
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Freddie received a £9m payout from BBC Studios for the accident of December 2022 at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
It also led to the Beeb shelving the show.
But the compensation can’t negate the trauma he’s endured over more than two years as he tries to rebuild his life.
The process has meant Freddie has struggled in his relationships with his former co-stars, Paddy, 51, and Chris, 50.
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In his new Disney+ documentary, Flintoff, Freddie said he did have a particularly emotional reunion with Chris, who also spoke out about the increasingly dangerous stunts that were being performed on the show.
But he has felt it too difficult to constantly stay in touch with both of them.
Freddie said: “We’ve been in contact…but I feel bad I haven’t been more in contact with Chris and Paddy.
“Part of it is, for myself a little bit, you know what I mean? I hate the word ‘triggering’, but I’m worried about that."
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He also admitted he felt guilt over his accident's impact on their careers.
He explained: “[The show] is something that stopped, in some ways, because of what happened to me.
Freddie Flintoff's Top Gear crash seen for first time in dramatic documentary about England cricket legend
“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 on my own, without adding to that.”
The documentary, released today, sees Freddie recount the horrifying details of the crash and how he relives it on a nightly basis, admitting he hasn't slept properly since.
The former sportsman also admitted there were times when he wished he had died during the first months of his long road to recovery, which involved multiple surgeries on his face.
Difficult Days
He added: "After the accident I didn’t think I had it in me to get through. This sounds awful: part of me wishes I’d been killed, part of me thinks I wish I’d died.
“I didn’t want to kill myself, I wouldn’t mistake the two things. But I was thinking: this would have been so much easier.”
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Flintoff is available on Disney+ from today.
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