Freddie Flintoff Makes Rare Public Appearance Nine Months After Top Gear Crash

Former England cricket captain Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has made a rare public appearance, nine months after suffering significant facial injuries in a car accident while filming for the BBC show Top Gear.

Flintoff was present at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens in Wales on Friday, September 8, where he watched England’s opening one-day international against New Zealand from the balcony.

The 45-year-old former England captain, who was one of the show’s presenters, had the accident at Surrey’s Dunsfold Aerodrome during filming for Top Gear.

Since the incident, Flintoff has maintained a low profile.

However, on Friday, he was photographed wearing an England coaching kit at Sophia Gardens, clearly showing the injuries from the Top Gear crash, which had halted the filming of series 34.

Flintoff, a close friend of England managing director Rob Key, is expected to be with the squad for the remainder of the series, although he won’t join them for the upcoming World Cup in India.

Earlier this year, BBC Studios released a statement saying they had concluded their investigation into the accident at the Top Gear Test Track in Surrey, expressing sincere apologies to Freddie Flintoff and pledging ongoing support for his recovery.

In light of the circumstances, they deemed it inappropriate to resume filming series 34 of Top Gear at that time, affecting both fans and the production team.

Flintoff’s car, an open-topped three-wheel Morgan Super 3, is said to have flipped over and slid along the track when he was driving at a high speed.

He suffered a broken rib, as well as facial and jaw injuries as a result of the accident. Even if the show were to continue, reports have suggested that Flintoff is unlikely to return to present it.

Flintoff retired from international cricket in 2009 and from all forms of the game in 2015, following England’s Ashes series victory over Australia.