Latest news with #FreddieFlintoff:LivingwithBulimia
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Freddie Flintoff's documentary praised by Jack Whitehall as he shares health battle
Freddie Flintoff's new Disney+ documentary has touched many, with the ex-cricket star candidly recounting the horror smash which left him with life-changing injuries. The former BBC Top Gear host, 47, was left with extensive facial and rib injuries, in what was described by doctors as being in the "top five" worst injuries they had ever seen. Now, comedy legend Jack Whitehall has been among those voicing support for his pal. It comes as he candidly admitted his own health battle on the Disney+ show, with the 36-year-old detailing his own pressures amid his health issues with bulimia, as Freddie opened up on his own struggles with the eating disorder. The pair became good friends after working together on Sky panel show A League of their Own, but they also had something deeper in common. Talking in the show, Jack said : "I was bulimic when I first started doing television, it's not something that I've ever really spoken about. "But I remember that pressure of being on television. And it's not something that I've seen other men or people in the media talk about, until Fred came out and spoke about it." "I just remember thinking that was incredibly brave of him," he added. Recalling their friendship in its earlier days, Jack noted, "I remember being quite intimidated - I was meeting Freddie Flintoff, who I looked up to alot as a kid, for the first time. "I was also like, he's this big burly northern bloke and I'm this rather effeminate flouncing boarding school boy, I'm probably not going to be his type of chap." He continued, "So many people think of him as so strong and so alpha but he's definitely fragile. To see how open and honest he's been about his struggles - like his bulimia." Freddie made a documentary for the BBC called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, back in 2020, where he explained how his struggle with bulimia started in the early part of his international cricket career, when focus was put on his weight. The sports star admitted that he was even making himself sick during helping England to secure their first Ashes victory in 18 years in 2005. He said: "The first Test of that series, I was being sick. Everyone is talking about how well you're doing, and there's part of you that thinks, 'it's working, let's just crack on with it'." Elsewhere, the trailer for his new documentary has unveiled the initial images from the scene of the crash. Captured at the Top Gear track, photographs have shown paramedics tending to Freddie's crumpled form beside the vehicle, which had skidded off the tarmac and onto the grass. Another tragic image depicts medics providing care to the former cricketer by the roadside, with tyre marks illustrating the drastic departure of the three-wheeled, open-topped car from its intended path. During the accident, Freddie was in the car with a crew member and suffered severe facial injuries, leaving permanent scarring, along with multiple broken ribs. Production was halted "for the foreseeable future" due to the crash, resulting in Freddie reaching a £9 million settlement with the BBC. The documentary will also delve into Freddie's struggle with PTSD, which according to insiders has been as challenging as his physical recuperation. For an extended period, he kept out of the public eye to recover privately and spend priceless moments with his family. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jack Whitehall reveals he battled bulimia when starting out in television as he hails 'incredibly brave' Andrew Flintoff in new Disney documentary
Comedian Jack Whitehall has revealed that he suffered from bulimia when he launched his television career. The 36-year-old funnyman admitted the 'pressures' of the industry led to his eating disorder battle and it was something he kept quiet about until his good friend Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff 'bravely' shared his own bulimia battle. Whitehall, who struck up an unlikely friendship with the Ashes hero, 47, after they starred together on Sky's A League of Their Own, admitted to suffering from bulimia in Flintoff's new Disney+ documentary. 'I was bulimic when I first started doing television, it's not something that I've ever really spoken about,' he confessed. 'But I remember that pressure of being on television. 'And it's not something that I've seen other men or people in the media talk about, until Fred came out and spoke about it. 'I just remember thinking that was incredibly brave of him.' The Preston-born cricket legend made a BBC documentary called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, in 2020, where he revealed his struggle with the eating disorder at the start of his career when focus was put on his weight. Flintoff was making himself sick while helping England roar to their first Ashes victory in 18 years in 2005. He said in the documentary at the time: 'I became known as a fat cricketer. That was horrible. That was when I started doing it. 'That was when I started being sick after meals. Then things started happening for me as a player.' Admitting to being sick during Ashes 2005, he said: 'Everyone was happy with me. 'My weight was coming down. It was like: "I'm bossing this." It just carried on and I was doing it all the time.' In Flintoff's latest documentary, Whitehall recalls how they became good pals despite their different upbringings after host James Corden insisted the England hero be on the A League of Their Own panel. 'I remember being quite intimidated - I was meeting Freddie Flintoff, who I looked up to a lot as a kid, for the first time,' Whitehall said. 'I was also like, he's this big burly northern bloke and I'm this rather effeminate flouncing boarding school boy, I'm probably not going to be his type of chap. 'So many people think of him as so strong and so alpha but he's definitely fragile. 'To see how open and honest he's been about his struggles - like his bulimia.' 'Flintoff', which will air on April 25, will tell the story of one of the country's greatest sporting heroes - including how he nearly died in a horror car crash during Top Gear filming in 2022. Flintoff will speak candidly and at length about the impact of the trauma and injuries he suffered when the Morgan Super 3 three-wheeled sports car he was driving flipped, dragging him across the tarmac of Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. In the documentary, he reveals he wished he had died in the immediate aftermath. 'After the accident, I didn't think I had it in me to get through,' he said. 'This sounds awful: part of me wishes I had been killed, part of me thinks 'I wish I had died.' 'I didn't want to kill myself, don't mistake the two things, but I was thinking 'this would have been so much easier.'' 'My biggest fear was I didn't think I had a face. I thought my face had come off,' Flintoff added. 'In some ways it would have been easier if I'd gone unconscious and then been unconscious for a week or two, and you wake up and the stitches are out, but I remember everything. 'We're probably doing about 40, 45 (mph). They were just showing me how to get the car going sideways and the wheel came up on the front. It's a funny thing rolling a car because there's a point of no return and everything slows down. It's so weird.'
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jack Whitehall reveals he suffered from bulimia when he began career
Comic Jack makes the admission in new Freddie Flintoff documentary as they both suffered same illness Comedian Jack Whitehall has revealed that he suffered from bulimia early on in his career. The stand up and TV host, 36, makes the confession in the new Disney+ documentary, Flintoff, which charts the life of cricketer-turned-TV star Freddie Flintoff. Freddie himself suffered eating disorders during his cricket career. And pal Jack says: "I was bulimic when I first started doing television, it's not something that I've ever really spoken about. But I remember that pressure of being on television. "And it's not something that I've seen other men or people in the media talk about, until Fred came out and spoke about it. I just remember thinking that was incredibly brave of him.' Freddie made a documentary for the BBC called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, in 2020 which saw him reveal the depths of his issues when playing. A lot of media focus was put on his weight when he broke into the England team and so he began making himself sick to help lose weight and then found he couldn't stop himself doing it. Looking back at the 2005 Ashes where he was a huge success he was still secretly suffering. Freddie said: "The first Test of that series, I was being sick. Everyone is talking about how well you're doing, and there's part of you that thinks, 'it's working, let's just crack on with it'." Jack also says he was initially intimidated by Freddie when they met on sports quiz show League Of Their Own but they struck up a close friendship. 'Many people think of him as so strong and so alpha but he's definitely fragile,' said Jack. At the end of the doc as the credits roll, Jack also hints that Freddie is almost back to his old self after his horrific Top Gear crash because of one unusual reason. Asked by someone off camera what he would like to say to Freddie, he replies: 'Answer my text!He's terrible for that. 'But I spoke to Steve Harmison the other day, and Steve said, like the most worrying moment about post the injury is that whenever you message Fred, he would message back straight away, and that's when we knew something was wrong. 'And recently, he stopped returning people's texts, and everyone's gone 'We've got Fred back'.' * Flintoff Premieres on Disney+ on Friday (April 25).
Scottish Sun
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Jack Whitehall reveals bulimia battle as he praises ‘brave' Freddie Flintoff on documentary
Jack opened up about his admiration for Freddie in the sportsman's new Disney+ documentary secret battle Jack Whitehall reveals bulimia battle as he praises 'brave' Freddie Flintoff on documentary Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COMEDIAN Jack Whitehall has revealed that he suffered from bulimia when he started out in his career. The funnyman makes the confession in the new Disney+ doc, Flintoff, which chronicles the life of cricketer-turned-TV star Freddie Flintoff. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Jack Whitehall has revealed he suffered from bulimia at the start of his career Credit: Getty 5 Jack spoke on Freddie Flintoff's new documentary, after the pair became pals while working on A League of their Own Credit: ©Sky UK Ltd 5 Freddie's new documentary on Disney+ is out today Credit: Getty Jack and the Ashes hero, 47, became pals when they started working together on Sky panel show A League of their Own, but they also had something deeper in common. Talking in the show, which drops today, Jack, 36, said: "I was bulimic when I first started doing television, it's not something that I've ever really spoken about. "But I remember that pressure of being on television. "And it's not something that I've seen other men or people in the media talk about, until Fred came out and spoke about it. "I just remember thinking that was incredibly brave of him." Jack made the revelation in the documentary that looked at how Freddie had been candid about battling the eating disorder. He recalled how they struck up a surprising friendship on A League of Their Own after host James Corden insisted the cricketer be on the panel. Jack said: "I remember being quite intimidated - I was meeting Freddie Flintoff, who I looked up to alot as a kid, for the first time. It comes as.... "I was also like, he's this big burly northern bloke and I'm this rather effeminate flouncing boarding school boy, I'm probably not going to be his type of chap. "So many people think of him as so strong and so alpha but he's definitely fragile. Freddie Flintoff's Top Gear crash seen for first time in dramatic documentary about England cricket legend "To see how open and honest he's been about his struggles - like his bulimia." Freddie made a documentary for the BBC called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, in 2020. He explained how his struggle with bulimia started in the early part of his international cricket career, when focus was put on his weight. Freddie was even making himself sick when he was helping England to their first Ashes victory in 18 years in 2005. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. He said: "The first Test of that series, I was being sick. "Everyone is talking about how well you're doing, and there's part of you that thinks, 'it's working, let's just crack on with it'." 5 Freddie discusses his Top Gear accident and the scars he was left with in the new documentary Credit: Instagram 5 Jack was full of praise for Freddie, who has been open about his own battle with bulimia in the past Credit: The Mega Agency Flintoff is available on Disney+ from today.
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Jack Whitehall reveals bulimia battle as he praises ‘brave' Freddie Flintoff on documentary
COMEDIAN Jack Whitehall has revealed that he suffered from bulimia when he started out in his career. The funnyman makes the confession in the 5 Jack Whitehall has revealed he suffered from bulimia at the start of his career Credit: Getty 5 Jack spoke on Freddie Flintoff's new documentary, after the pair became pals while working on A League of their Own Credit: ©Sky UK Ltd 5 Freddie's new documentary on Disney+ is out today Credit: Getty Jack and the Ashes hero, 47, became pals when they started working together on Sky panel show A League of their Own, but they also had something deeper in common. Talking in the show, which drops today, Jack, 36, said: "I was bulimic when I first started doing television, it's not something that I've ever really spoken about. "But I remember that pressure of being on television. "And it's not something that I've seen other men or people in the media talk about, until Fred came out and spoke about it. Read More on Freddie Flintoff "I just remember thinking that was incredibly brave of him." Jack made the He recalled how they struck up a surprising friendship on A League of Their Own after host James Corden insisted the cricketer be on the panel. Jack said: "I remember being quite intimidated - I was meeting Freddie Flintoff, who I looked up to alot as a kid, for the first time. Most read in News TV It comes as.... Freddie Flintoff thought he was dead after Freddie admits ' Freddie relives Heartbroken Freddie reveals "I was also like, he's this big burly northern bloke and I'm this rather effeminate flouncing boarding school boy, I'm probably not going to be his type of chap. "So many people think of him as so strong and so alpha but he's definitely fragile. Freddie Flintoff's Top Gear crash seen for first time in dramatic documentary about England cricket legend "To see how open and honest he's been about his struggles - like his bulimia." Freddie made a documentary for the BBC called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, in 2020. He explained how his struggle with bulimia started in the early part of his international cricket career, when focus was put on his weight. Freddie was even making himself sick when he was helping England to their first Ashes victory in 18 years in 2005. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. He said: "The first Test of that series, I was being sick. "Everyone is talking about how well you're doing, and there's part of you that thinks, 'it's working, let's just crack on with it'." 5 Freddie discusses his Top Gear accident and the scars he was left with in the new documentary Credit: Instagram 5 Jack was full of praise for Freddie, who has been open about his own battle with bulimia in the past Credit: The Mega Agency Flintoff is available on Disney+ from today.
