Freddie Flintoff makes emotional return to driving 3 years after terrifying Top Gear crash

Freddie Flintoff has opened up about his long road to recovery - three years after the near-fatal Top Gear crash that left him with devastating facial injuries. The former England cricket star turned TV presenter says that small steps, such as getting back behind the wheel of a car, have helped him rebuild his confidence and come to terms with how much his life has changed. For Freddie, 47, those steps mark a huge milestone.

Speaking on Piers Morgan's Uncensored, he revealed: "I've only been driving about four months, four or five months... and I'm alright now. To begin with, I was a bit nervy, you know, even playing golf, for a long period of time. I took golf up in the past few years and love it. "But I wouldn't even drive the golf buggy. I can't walk because my knees are bad, so I get one of my mates to drive. Just being slapped behind the wheel and getting all them thoughts back."

The father-of-four continued: "I'm better than I was. But I suppose it's just always going to be something I've got to keep aware of."

Freddie, whose real name is Andrew Flintoff, was filming Top Gear at Dunsfold Aerodrome with Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness when the crash happened on December 13, 2022.

Travelling at around 45mph in a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3, his vehicle overturned, dragging his face along the tarmac and shattering his jaw, nose, and teeth.

"One of the things about the crash was, I wasn't knocked unconscious, so I remember everything about it," he recalled. "Every time I go to bed at night, I'm back (at the crash)."

He added: "It's always a work in progress. You know, I think the crash changed things a hell of a lot. After the crash, I had all types of different treatment from trauma care to psychiatric care, to cognitive tests and this, that and the other.

"And I stopped after a while. You know, whether it's right or wrong, I've got to get on with this. And there are triggers, and there's PTSD and flashbacks."

Freddie says his wife Rachael and their children have helped him through the darkest moments.

"I would get snappy and angry. The kids were incredible... The younger one, Preston - he would have been about two, two and a half, at the time - wouldn't come near me to begin with because I was a mess.

"It's all good now. But Rachael was strong. I suppose she had to be for both of us."

The 2005 Ashes hero, now head coach for the England Lions and a familiar face on the BBC's Field of Dreams, says cricket and family have been key to his recovery.

He shared: "Family and friends and cricket have been things that now, have probably helped me more than anything."

Freddie recently finished filming a new series of Bullseye for ITV and released his book Coming Home: The Moments That Made Me, reflecting on the highs and lows of his life - from sporting triumphs to the crash that nearly ended it.