Top Gear’s Freddie Flintoff is ‘recovering post surgery’ from car crash, friend Piers Morgan reveals

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is said to be ‘recovering after surgery’ after suffering a horrific accident while filming for Top Gear, as the BBC launches an investigation into the incident and insists ‘all health procedures’ were followed and security’.

The 45-year-old England cricketer and presenter was airlifted to hospital after a collision on a test track at Dunsfold airfield in Surrey on Tuesday.

Piers Morgan, a friend of Flintoff’s, said today that he had since contacted the family and offered an optimistic outlook.

“They told me it was a pretty bad accident and Freddie is going to be fine, but it could be a little bit more serious than first thought,” he told talkSPORT.

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff (pictured) is said to be ‘recovering after surgery’ after suffering a horror accident while filming for Top Gear

The presenter and former England cricketer (pictured during an earlier Top Gear filming session), 45, was airlifted to hospital following a collision on a test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey on Tuesday.

“They told me he’s going to be fine, which is great news, but they also told me it was a pretty nasty blast and he had surgery and he’s on the mend now and we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I’ve been in touch with them privately but I just want to wish him and his family, his wife Rachel, all the best and I think we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that the great man turns out well. ‘

A Top Gear spokesperson said: “Our primary concern is and has been for the well-being of Freddie, as well as that of the Top Gear team.

“All on-site health and safety procedures were followed and the incident is now being fully investigated, in accordance with standard policy and practice.”

Flintoff was behind the wheel filming when the incident occurred, and saw medics at the scene near Cranleigh come to his aid. His co-star Chris Harris, who hosts the show alongside Flintoff and Paddy McGuiness, was also on the Top Gear test track.

A BBC spokesperson said after the incident: “Freddie was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track this morning, and crew medics attended the scene immediately.”

“He has been taken to hospital for further treatment and we will confirm further details in due course.”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it was “aware” of the incident and was “making inquiries”.

The HSE is a non-departmental executive public body, under the auspices of the Department for Work and Pensions.

It is a procedure for the BBC to report the incident to the HSE and for investigations to be carried out.

Tuesday’s accident is not the first Flintoff has faced since he began working on the show.

In February 2019, the presenter was involved in a minor incident when he crashed into a market stall in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

In September of the same year, he crashed again while driving a three-wheeler at a reported speed of 124mph during filming for Top Gear at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, but was uninjured in the incident.

Flintoff, who was named England cricket captain twice, first in 2006 and 2007, retired from playing in 2010, before briefly returning to play for Lancashire four years later.

Following his illustrious sports career, he became a familiar face on television, joining various reality shows and panels and appearing as the face of supermarket brand Morrisons.

In 2010 he became captain of Sky’s A League Of Their Own team, hosted by James Corden before being crowned king of the jungle in the first series of the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! ! in 2015.

After appearing in the BBC drama Love, Lies and Records in 2017, he made his musical theater debut in Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical and presented All Star Musicals for ITV in December of the same year.

He was announced in October 2018, ahead of the show’s 27th season, as the new host of Top Gear alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

McGuinness also cheated death after losing control of a red Lamborghini in the Yorkshire Dales in 2020.

It comes after Richard Hammond was left in a coma following a serious accident on set in September 2006.

The former Top Gear host crashed a jet-powered Vampire dragster vehicle while traveling at 288mph and spent five weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries.

Top Gear crashes through the years

Richard Hammond crashes a Vampire Dragster – 2006

Richard was left fighting for his life after crashing the jet car while going 288mph while testing the vehicle at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York. Hammond was completing a seventh and final run in the car when the right front tire blew and the dragster skidded off the track, flipping over and Hammond was left with a traumatic head injury and was in a coma for two weeks. In the year after the accident, the TV host returned to the show and talked about the accident on the Jonathan Ross show, but he couldn’t remember anything due to his injuries.

Shocking: Richard was left fighting for his life after crashing the Vampire Dragster while going 288mph while testing the vehicle at the former RAF Elvington airbase.

Freddie Flintoff crashes a jet trike – 2019

In September, Freddie revealed that he suffered a nasty exhaust after a high-speed crash on a jet trike during filming. The 41-year-old cricket star insisted he was “absolutely fine” after his jet trike went off the road during a race at Elvington airfield near York. Freddie reportedly ran his high-speed trike off the road while filming the high-speed race. Crew members rushed to Freddie, who was wearing a full biker outfit and helmet for the scenes, but he came out with barely a scratch.

Close call: In September of last year, Freddie revealed that he suffered a nasty exhaust after a high-speed crash on a jet trike during filming.

Paddy McGuinness’s rear axle comes off his Pontiac Firebird – 2020

In the latest series of Top Gear, Paddy embarked on the ‘original’ American Road Trip with Freddie and Chris Harris. He arrived at his departure point from Peru with a Pontiac Firebird that had no roof, among various other problems. When the trio decided to test their cars on a straight 1/4 mile stretch of road, Paddy’s car only got a few yards before the rear end of the axle broke completely and he was forced to abandon the car. .

In the latest series of Top Gear, Paddy was forced to abandon his Pontiac Firebird after the rear end of the axle completely fell apart (pictured)

Jeremy Clarkson flips his Reliant Robin – 2010

In a now famous segment on Top Gear, former host Jeremy flipped a Reliant Robin multiple times. The automotive journalist flipped it over to demonstrate that the three-wheeled car could easily roll over. In his driving column for the Sunday Times, Jeremy revealed that he had actually asked the crew to play with the car “so that the poor thing would roll over every time you turned the wheel”.

Flipping heck: In a now-famous segment of Top Gear, former host Jeremy Clarkson flipped a Reliant Robin multiple times (pictured)