Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness’ friendship became strained after Freddie’s accident in 2022, with both struggling to reconnect in the aftermath
Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness’ friendship was shattered following the former cricket star’s traumatic accident in 2022, which left him feeling hopeless.
In December of that year, Freddie, also known as Andrew Flintoff, was in a serious accident while filming Top Gear. He was driving a high-speed car for a special segment when the crash occurred, resulting in severe injuries. He had joined the popular show in 2019, alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, replacing Matt LeBlanc after the programme had been revamped.
In the aftermath of the crash, the TV presenter, 47, opened up about his struggles, even admitting that he wished he had died. “I thought my face had come off,” he said.
In the bombshell new Disney+ documentary, a visibly distraught Freddie revealed just how much the accident changed his life, including his friendships with his co-star and best pal, Paddy, and why he’s no longer in contact with him.
The pair had been working closely together on the BBC motorsport show alongside Harris over the years, built a friendship outside of the studio too. But things quickly went downhill after Freddie was hospitalised following his shocking injuries from his car accident. Flintoff has largely stayed out of the spotlight, and Paddy admits he had given his pal some space as he didn’t want to “bombard” him with messages, finally reaching out to him via text after the two hadn’t seen each other in 10 months.
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The former Take Me Out host, 51, confessed to The Sun: “Who knows what he must be going through? I still see his wife and we still chat, and we have the same barber, and it’s all lovely.
“I messaged Fred recently saying, ‘Look, I can’t begin to think what you’re going through but rather than me bombarding you with loads of messages, which can be annoying, if you can’t be a***d with that, I’m always here. I hope you’re well and please God, I’ll see you soon.”
He continued: “You just can’t begin to put yourself into his shoes. No one can know what’s going on in his head.” Paddy was one of the first to speak out following Freddie’s accident.
This week, Freddie has broken his silence after growing distant with Paddy, sharing that the reason he had stopped speaking to his co-star was because it was “triggering.” He shared: “We’ve been in contact…but I feel bad I haven’t been more in contact with Chris and Paddy”. He added: “Part of it is, for myself a little bit, you know what I mean? I hate the word ‘triggering’, but I’m worried about that.”
He also revealed the deep guilt he feels over how his accident has affected the careers of those closest to him. Freddie added: “[The show] is something that stopped, in some ways, because of what happened to me. Their careers have been altered as well so I feel, not guilty, but I feel bad for them. And also, it’s like, what happened gets dragged up enough on my own, without adding to that.”
Despite the rift between them, McGuinness declared his love for his former co-star, saying: “I love Fred. He’s a good lad,” he said. “The mad thing about me getting on with him so well is that I know absolutely zero about cricket. I’ve never watched it, never been into it and never played it. I knew of Freddie and Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan…the famous names.”
He revealed they message from time to time as he reflected: “Me, Fred and Chris [Harris] everyday we worked together we just laughed. It was such a lovely experience.”
Freddie also revealed his harrowing thoughts after the accident. “After the accident, I didn’t think I had it in me to get through. 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.’
The accident left him with more than just physical scars. Recalling the moment, he admitted how terrified he was: “My biggest fear was I didn’t think I had a face. I thought my face had come off,” Freddie shared.
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