Flintoff admits wishing he died in moments after car crash
He speaks about the incident in depth for the first time in a new Disney+ documentary 'Flintoff', which premieres on Friday, offering an unflinching account of the incident.
The poster for the new Flintoff documentary (Disney+)
The film contains still images from the scene of the accident and some graphic shots of his wounds, but Flintoff's account is even more stark.
At one stage, he admits: '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. I was not wishing, I was just thinking, 'this would have been so much easier'. Now I try to take the attitude that the sun will come up tomorrow and my kids will still give me a hug. I'm probably in a better place now.'
The documentary ends with its subject back involved in the sport that made his name, as head coach of England Lions and Northern Superchargers, and back in the television studio in a reboot of darts show Bullseye.
He appears optimistic about the future, despite regular flashbacks to the accident, and states: 'I don't think I'm ever going to be better…just different now. I'm getting there slowly.'
Andrew Flintoff's wife said cricket returned to cricket coaching after his accident (John Walton/PA)
Wife Rachael later concludes: 'I do think cricket saved him. It gave him a reason for being again.'
The documentary, made by director John Dower, includes contributions from former team-mates Michael Vaughan, Steve Harmison and Rob Key as well as family members and showbusiness friends James Corden and Jack Whitehall.
There is also an appearance by his surgeon Jahrad Haq, who describes Flintoff's injuries as one of the five worst he has come across in 20 years and likes the reconstruction process to a jigsaw with missing pieces.
Flintoff reveals he demanded to see footage of the crash and talks at length about the terror he felt in the moment.
'I remember my head got hit, I got dragged out. I went over the back of the car and it pulled my face down on the runway, about 50 metres, underneath the car,' he said.
Freddie Flintoff was a presenter on Top Gear (BBC)
'My biggest fear was, I didn't think I had a face. I thought my face had come off. I was frightened to death.'
The BBC 'rested' Top Gear for the foreseeable future in 2023 after reaching a financial settlement with Flintoff, an agreement reportedly worth around £9million.
The 47-year-old appears resentful about the entertainment culture he was involved in, likening it to his own injury-ravaged playing career.
'Everybody wants more. Everybody want to dig that bit deeper,' he said.
'I learned this in sport as well. All the injuries, all the injections, all the times I got sent out on a cricket field and treated like a piece of meat. That's TV and sport. It's quite similar, you're just a commodity. You're a piece of meat.'
:: 'Flintoff' is available to stream exclusively on Disney+ from Friday 25th April.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
‘Nervous' Emma Raducanu enjoys win with Katie Boulter in rare doubles outing
Raducanu had before this played doubles just once, partnering Clara Tauson in round one of the 2022 Washington Open, and alongside Boulter was fully backed by the home crowd on the packed and more intimate Court One. The WTA 500 event marks the first time in 52 years Queen's has hosted women's tennis, and while the pairing of British number one Boulter and number two Raducanu were not quite ready to submit their entries to Wimbledon, there were hugs and fist-pumps aplenty as they got their grass court seasons underway. Friends who win together 🤗@WTA | #HSBCChampionships — LTA (@the_LTA) June 9, 2025 'I was actually very nervous before the match,' said 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, who will take on Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa in her opening singles match on Tuesday afternoon. 'I don't know if you could tell, but, yeah, probably more nervous than the singles, because I just didn't necessarily know what to do. 'I'm really happy once we got out there, Katie made me feel so comfortable, and I'm just so pleased to get a win.' This Queen's partnership, Raducanu revealed, came 'spontaneously', after a few close calls where she and Boulter nearly joined forces at Madrid, Paris and Miami. Asked it could extend as far as Wimbledon, Raducanu replied: 'We haven't spoken about it. It worked pretty well, so we're just going to keep on trying to do as best we can this week.' Boulter joked: 'Scrap what she said – we're going for the Wimbledon title! No, I'm just kidding.' The British pair claimed an early break in the first set and extended their lead to 4-2 before Wu and Jiang drew level at 4-4. Boulter and Raducanu broke back and eventually claimed the opening set, converting their second set point. Momentum in their favour, the Britons made quicker work of the pair from China and Chinese Taipei in the second set, sealed emphatically by Raducanu's volley. Fans on social media were quick to complain that the match was not available to watch in full on the BBC, who did occasionally cut to the British pair but focused on the action on the newly-christened Andy Murray Arena, where the three-time grand slam winner was honoured in a morning ceremony. The PA news agency understands contractural considerations between a number of stakeholders – including the WTA and LTA – contributed to the contest being held on the smaller court. PA has contacted the BBC for comment. Raducanu did not mind the venue, adding: 'I think sometimes on the smaller courts youb get a bigger feel for the match, the atmosphere and the environment, because it's a lot closer, more intimate, and you hear the support more. 'For me, I love playing on those smaller, outside courts where you really feel the support and the crowd gets into it. I was filling my bottle up, and I was literally having a chat in the stands because that's how close it is.' Elsewhere, British number three Sonay Kartal got her singles campaign off to a winning start with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over Australia's world number 16 Daria Kasatkina.
Glasgow Times
21 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Steve Clarke 'pleased' with Adams amid major Carver update
The national team put Liechtenstein to the sword in a 4-0 friendly victory, bouncing back from a 3-1 defeat to Iceland at Hampden last time out. Speaking post-match, Clarke reflected on the emphatic win, explaining how Sunday night's Nations League final proved how Scotland can still compete at the elite level: "I know my players, I trust my players... It's nice to finish this camp with a nice win," he told BBC. Read more: "Most teams will come here and win against Liechtenstein, but not many come here and score four goals. "It's still a disappointing camp because we didn't play as we can play in the home game at Hampden. "I'm certainly going to carry that into August. There was a little bit of hurt and anger in the dressing room, I think you saw that in the first 20 to 25 minutes when the players were really on it. "If you look at the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain, in recent times, this Scotland team has shown how competitive it can be against that type of team. "So, you look at the two best teams in Europe competing in a final, we can compete." Forward Adams' display was perhaps his finest in dark blue. A perfect hat-trick, combined with a fine assist for strike partner George Hirst, meant the Torino man grabbed the headlines. Despite making several substitutions throughout the 90, Clarke left a hungry Adams on: "I'm really pleased for Che," he added. "We know what Che can bring. He's been with us for a couple of years now. He's a top-quality striker. "I left him on because I knew he would be desperate for a hat-trick." Question marks have hung over the future of Clarke's long-term lieutenant, Carver, for some time. The 60-year-old joined the Scotland set up in 2020 but recently took up a role with Polish Ekstraklasa outfit Lechia Gdansk, whom he successfully helped avoid the drop to the second-tier last season. "I think the wave goodbye to the crowd was a giveaway," admitted Clarke post-match. "The thing with John was that when I approached him to come and help us, I didn't think he'd be here for five years because he's a talented coach. We'll miss him, we'll have to look to replace him, and that'll be my job over the summer. We wish him every success."
The Herald Scotland
35 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Steve Clarke 'pleased' with Adams amid major Carver update
Speaking post-match, Clarke reflected on the emphatic win, explaining how Sunday night's Nations League final proved how Scotland can still compete at the elite level: "I know my players, I trust my players... It's nice to finish this camp with a nice win," he told BBC. Read more: "Most teams will come here and win against Liechtenstein, but not many come here and score four goals. "It's still a disappointing camp because we didn't play as we can play in the home game at Hampden. "I'm certainly going to carry that into August. There was a little bit of hurt and anger in the dressing room, I think you saw that in the first 20 to 25 minutes when the players were really on it. "If you look at the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain, in recent times, this Scotland team has shown how competitive it can be against that type of team. "So, you look at the two best teams in Europe competing in a final, we can compete." Forward Adams' display was perhaps his finest in dark blue. A perfect hat-trick, combined with a fine assist for strike partner George Hirst, meant the Torino man grabbed the headlines. Despite making several substitutions throughout the 90, Clarke left a hungry Adams on: "I'm really pleased for Che," he added. "We know what Che can bring. He's been with us for a couple of years now. He's a top-quality striker. "I left him on because I knew he would be desperate for a hat-trick." Question marks have hung over the future of Clarke's long-term lieutenant, Carver, for some time. The 60-year-old joined the Scotland set up in 2020 but recently took up a role with Polish Ekstraklasa outfit Lechia Gdansk, whom he successfully helped avoid the drop to the second-tier last season. "I think the wave goodbye to the crowd was a giveaway," admitted Clarke post-match. "The thing with John was that when I approached him to come and help us, I didn't think he'd be here for five years because he's a talented coach. We'll miss him, we'll have to look to replace him, and that'll be my job over the summer. We wish him every success."
