Latest news with #Preston-born
Metro
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
WWE fans in awe as 'freakish' star finally debuts after 12-month wait
WWE fans were stunned as a new face made a massive impression at Night of Champions 2025. Former New Japan Pro Wrestling star Hikuleo – who was previously a member of Bullet Club and Guerrillas of Destiny – was reported to have signed with the company back in July 2024. It's been a year since the towering star left NJPW, and 11 months since he was said to have inked his WWE deal. Finally, he reappeared and made his debut during Saturday's Night of Champions event in Saudi Arabia just hours after a historic King of the Ring win for Cody Rhodes. He had a defining role to play in the United States Title match which saw Jacob Fatu putting his gold on the line against Solo Sikoa. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. After Tonga Loa returned from a seven month injury layoff to turn the tide in Sikoa's favour, the former Bloodline enforcer had another trick up his sleeve with Hikuleo appearing to cost Fatu the title. Taking to X after the match, WWE boss Triple H retweeted a photo of Solo celebrating with his allies and wrote: 'By any means necessary…#WWENOC' It's been a long wait, but now he's joined his for GoD teammates – and real life cousin Loa and brother Tama Tonga – on the WWE main roster. Commentators Michael Cole and Wade Barrett avoided saying Hikuleo's name, which suggests a change in moniker is on the horizon for the newcomer, who stands at 6ft 8ins. However, Preston-born Barrett immediately hyped up the big man, branding him an 'absolute freak', while fans watching on Netflix were in awe of his size. 'Huge surprise with Hikuleo helping Solo! Great twist in the title match. #WWENOC,' raved @LaurenMill62673 on X. 'HIKULEO IS HUGE MY GOD,' shouted @ChefOsco, with plenty of fans stunned by his hulking frame. 'Hikuleo is him! Dude is massive af. #WWENOC,' added @ShinTails77. He's a newcomer to WWE fans, having only recently appeared in so-called dark matches, which are off-air bouts for the live crowd. In his first on June 13, he overcame Pretty Deadly's Kit Wilson, while last week he beat Ryan Matthias before SmackDown. Before joining WWE, he made his name in New Japan, where he became Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion on two occasions with El Phantasmo, while the duo also won the IWPT Tag Team Titles. View More » He's also a former Strong Openweight Champion, having wrestled in the United States for TNA and All Elite Wrestling. King of the Ring final : Cody Rhodes pinned Randy Orton : Cody Rhodes pinned Randy Orton Street Fight : Rhea Ripley beat Raquel Rodriguez : Rhea Ripley beat Raquel Rodriguez Sami Zayn pinned Karrion Kross United States Title : Solo Sikoa defeated Jacob Fatu (c) : Solo Sikoa defeated Jacob Fatu (c) Queen of the Ring: Jade Cargill beat Asuka Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'It's a hell of a ride!' Your favourite shows like Squid Game MORE: Netflix WWE SmackDown live stream cuts out with millions unable to watch MORE: TV fans torn between bingeing Netflix hit series or 'anxiety-inducing' drama this weekend
Glasgow Times
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Glasgow Times
Freddie Flintoff accident: What happened in Top Gear crash?
Flintoff used to be co-host of popular BBC car show Top Gear along with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris - a role he began back in 2019. But the former England Cricket Team captain's time on the show was cut short after he was severely injured in an accident at the Top Gear Test Track - the Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey in December 2022. What happened to Freddie Flintoff in Top Gear accident? 'Freddie' Flintoff reportedly flipped a Morgan Super 3 vehicle on the first bend at the Top Gear test track during filming for the show while not wearing a helmet. Freddie Flintoff used to host Top Gear along with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. (Image: Lee Brimble/PA) The vehicle was only travelling at 22mph but was open-top, meaning when it flipped Flintoff's face scraped along the tarmac, reported the Mail on Sunday. The presenter sustained broken ribs and serious facial injuries in the incident with Flintoff's son Corey, revealing at the time, his father was 'lucky to be alive' describing it as a 'pretty nasty crash'. There were reports Flintoff's crash was so bad Top Gear staff who witnessed it had to be signed off work indefinitely as they struggled to come to terms with an incident described as "something you would truly want to unsee". After months of speculation, the BBC finally made the decision, in November 2023, to rest Top Gear for the "foreseeable future". Flintoff spoke about the Top Gear crash for the first time on Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dream on Tour, which aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in August 2024. He revealed how close he was to dying and the struggles he's had since including "crying every two minutes", anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks. The documentary showed Flintoff in hospital shortly after the crash where he said: "I genuinely should not be here after what happened. 'This will be a long road back and I've only just started, I'm stuck already. Apparently this is on @DisneyPlus @DisneyPlusUK tomorrow have watch if you want want 🤦🏼♂️ — Andrew Flintoff (@flintoff11) April 24, 2025 'I need help, and I realise I'm not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. 'I've got to look at the positives, haven't I? 'I'm still here, I've got another chance, I've got to go at it. I'm seeing that as how it is, a second go." New Freddie Flintoff documentary on Disney+ A new documentary about Andrew Flintoff is set for release on Disney+ on Friday (April 25). RECOMMENDED READING: "Flintoff" will give viewers "unprecedented access" to Freddie's life, covering everything from his cricketing career to his "life-altering" Top Gear crash. The programme will also show the Preston-born star's return to cricket after the car crash. Flintoff will be available to watch on Disney+ from Friday (April 25).
Glasgow Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
How to watch Freddie Flintoff's new Disney+ documentary
It will also detail the life-changing car crash he had while filming for the BBC motoring show Top Gear in 2022. The programme will also show the Preston-born star's return to cricket after the crash at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. Flintoff's crash left him with facial and rib injuries and he's made a steady return to the public eye since. Flintoff is a 90-minute documentary that will be available to watch later this month, giving fans 'exclusive access' and an insight into his life. Freddie said: 'Cricket's always been a massive part of my life, shaping who I am. Looking back on the highs and the lows, including the challenges I've faced since my accident, has been a real reminder of why my career in the sport has meant so much.' He rejoined the England cricket team's backroom staff for their T20 series against the West Indies last year and in September 2024, the England Lions named him as head coach. Last year, Flintoff also hosted a Christmas special of darts-themed ITV quiz show Bullseye and Freddie Flintoff's Field Of Dreams On Tour which saw him take a group of young people from his home town on a cricketing tour of India. Recommended reading: How to watch Freddie Flintoff's Disney+ documentary If you'd like to know more about Freddie and his life, here's how you can watch his new documentary. Flintoff, directed by John Dower, will be available to watch on Disney+ from Friday, April 25. It will be executive-produced by Andrew Mackenzie and Naomi Templeton for South Shore, and Flintoff himself, and executive-produced for Disney+ by Sean Doyle, the company's executive director of unscripted.
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
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Freddie Flintoff makes rare public appearance at premiere of his intimate documentary
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has made a rare appearance on the black carpet, as he attended the premiere of his upcoming Disney+ documentary, which sees him reflect on his life Cricket legend Andrew Freddie Flintoff has made a rare public appearance at the premiere of his upcoming Disney+ documentary. The sportsman was left with facial and rib injuries after the high-speed crash at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, in 2022, and was largely out of the public eye during his recovery. The A League of Their Own star, 47, will discuss the life-altering car crash in Flintoff, the feature-length documentary film out this Friday. Earlier this month, a trailer for the programme showed Freddie saying he is "trying to find out what I am now" after suffering serious injuries while filming the now-defunct motoring show Top Gear. Stepping out in London this evening for the UK premiere, Freddie looked happy and relaxed as he posed for snaps on the black carpet. The Preston-born star kept things casual in black trousers, a white top, beige cardigan and white trainers. "With exclusive access to Flintoff and featuring his wife Rachael and close friends including Michael Vaughan, James Corden, and Jack Whitehall, the film documents his compelling life story from winning two Ashes series for England, to becoming a British TV icon, and finally, returning to the game following his life-altering car crash in 2022.," the synopsis for Flintoff reads. "This is a story of resilience through career highs, personal challenges, and the pressures of living under the public gaze." In a trailer for his upcoming documentary, Freddie describes his "vivid" memories of the crash and says he can remember 'everything about it'. In a teaser for the 90-minute film released last week, he said: "I've lived under the radar for seven months. One of the real frustrations was the speculation; that's why I'm doing this now, (about) what actually happened." He describes his experience of the crash as "almost like I've had a reset, and I'm trying to find out what I am now". The programme will also explore his career before the accident, during which he won two Ashes series, and his subsequent return to cricket. He touches on press attention, saying: "Everyone wants more, you're just a commodity." Freddie's family, Gavin And Stacey creator James Corden, and comedian Jack Whitehall also appear in the trailer. Freddie first spoke about the crash publicly in the second series of his cricketing show, saying it was "a lot harder than I thought" to shake off the impact, and disclosing he had struggled with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks. Footage of the crash is shown, including of the filming crew and staff attending the incident. Freddie is making a steady return to the public eye, being named England Lions head coach in September 2024 and appearing in a Christmas special of darts-themed ITV quiz show Bullseye. His second series of Freddie Flintoff's Field Of Dreams, in which he took a group of young people from his home town on a cricketing tour of India, is up for a Bafta factual series gong at next month's ceremony. The BBC"rested" Top Gear for the foreseeable future in 2023, after reaching a financial settlement with Flintoff, reportedly worth £9 million. The documentary, directed by John Dower, will air on April 25 on Disney+.
