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England cricket legend Freddie Flintoff has made his first public appearance since the 130 mph Top Gear horror crash which almost killed him last year.<\/p>\n
The 45 year-old was seen with visible scars to his face and tape on his nose during England\u2019s ODI clash against New Zealand in Cardiff on Friday, with whom he is working with in an unpaid consultancy role.<\/p>\n
Flintoff was announced as a presenter on the BBC\u2019s hugely popular motoring show in 2018 alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris in what the former all-rounder described as his \u2018dream job\u2019.<\/p>\n
So, what exactly happened to Flintoff? Here is everything we know about his Top Gear accident which turned his dream into a nightmare.<\/p>\n
Flintoff\u2019s crash took place on December 13, 2022 at Dunsfold Park aerodrome in Surrey, which has been the Top Gear test track since 2002.<\/p>\n
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He was driving an open-topped three-wheel Morgan Super 3 at 130 mph when it flipped and slid along the track during filming.<\/p>\n
Flintoff, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident along with a crew member in the passenger seat, was airlifted to hospital and suffered multiple facial injuries and broken ribs \u2013 but not before having to wait 45 minutes for the helicopter to arrive.<\/p>\n
Flintoff\u2019s injuries were described at the time as being non-life threatening, but his son Corey said he was \u2018lucky to be alive.\u2019<\/p>\n
A source told The Times: \u2018Freddie has been seriously emotionally and physically affected by the crash. He is a daredevil, that\u2019s what he does, and he doesn\u2019t feel like he is able to continue to play that role on the show.\u2019<\/p>\n
As a consequence of the incident, production of series 34 of Top Gear was halted, with the BBC then confirming in March that filming would not resume at all.<\/p>\n
The broadcaster said in a statement: \u2018Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34.<\/p>\n
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\u2018We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.<\/p>\n
\u2018We understand this [halting production] will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we\u2019ll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year.\u2019<\/p>\n
The BBC has also said there will be a health and safety review on the motoring show.<\/p>\n
It was not the first time Flintoff had been involved in a shunt whilst filming for Top Gear, having lost control of his motorised trike at 125mph whilst racing McGuinness and Harris in 2019.<\/p>\n
England white ball captain Jos Buttler was delighted to have Flintoff\u2019s experience in camp for the New Zealand series, which serves as vital preparation for next month\u2019s ODI World Cup in India where the team will look to defend their title.<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2019s obviously an England legend and it\u2019s just nice to have him around the group,\u2019 the England skipper said.<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2019s not been brought in with any specific role, just to be around and observe.<\/p>\n
\u2018A few of the lads can pick his brains a little bit and he\u2019s settled in really well. It\u2019s great to have him with us. Just for this series.\u2019<\/p>\n
Flintoff\u2019s former teammate and close friend Kevin Pietersen took to X (Twitter) where he simply wrote: \u2018Freddie BACK!!!!\u2019 accompanied by six heart emojis.<\/p>\n