When news broke that Freddie Flintoff had been hospitalised in a near-fatal car collision and sustained severe injuries to his face, his wife Rachel Wilson was told by doctors to 'expect the worst'.
The former cricket pro had been filming a brand new series of Top Gear on the test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey back in 2022, when the open-topped three-wheeled high speed vehicle he was driving flipped over.
Freddie, 44 at the time, was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was treated for numerous facial lacerations and several broken ribs.
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In the months that followed, the sportsman underwent countless surgeries, and made the decision to withdraw from the public eye, only leaving the house to attend medical appointments.
After being discharged he withdrew from the public eye and underwent months of recovery, only leaving his house for medical appointments.
Only this week has on-screen favourite Freddie rejoined the public arena, as the second series of his BBC hit Field of Dreams lands on screens.
And in the debut episode, the father-of-four broke his silence on the catastrophic injuries he has overcome in the last two years, as well as lifting the lid on his wife of 20-years' perception on her husband's accident.
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In a clip, Freddie could be seen wearing a bandage to the lower right side of his nose, scarring on his forehead, stitches in his upper lip and chin and a swollen nose.
He began by telling viewers that Rachel - who he dated for three years before marrying in a lavish ceremony at the Pavilion Road Hotel in Knightsbridge in March 2005 - was told by medics to 'expect the worst'.
"I genuinely should not be here after what happened," he explained. "It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started.
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"I’ve got to look on the positive side - I’m still here; I’ve got another chance. I’ve got to go at it."
The program then jumps to seven months after the crash, with Freddie telling viewers directly that he'd made strides in terms of injuries since the hospital clip.
Standing in his kitchen, he can he seen admitting: "I thought I could just shake it off, I wanted to shake it off and say 'Here I am I’m alright', but that’s not been the case, it’s been a lot harder than I thought.
"As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I’ve just not been able to."
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He went on to lift the lid on the post-traumatic stress he has since been diagnosed with: "I struggle with anxiety, I have flashbacks, I have nightmares. But I’m thinking if I don’t go out I’ll never do anything."
The first episode of Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams On Tour is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, with the second episode airing on BBC One at 9pm tonight.
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Sex and Relationships, UK News, Mental Health, BBC, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson