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Flintoff ‘didn’t leave house for six months’ after crash

By in News, Sports News

Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has said he did not leave the house for six months after his Top Gear crash, which left him with both physical and mental scars.

The cricketer-turned-TV presenter sustained serious facial and rib injuries in a crash while filming the BBC motoring programme in 2022.

Speaking about the incident on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show, Flintoff said he had struggled with “crippling anxiety” in the wake of the crash and has suffered from flashbacks and nightmares.

“Afterwards, obviously there’s the physical scars that I’ve got. But then the mental side of it,” he told Jonathan Ross.

“I didn’t leave the house for probably six or eight months. The only times I was leaving the house was for medical appointments and surgeries,” he said.

The former England all-rounder also revealed he had to have “about five or six goes at leaving the room” and “have a chat with myself in the mirror” to help overcome his anxiety before returning to the world of cricket as a coach.

“I’d not shown myself without a face mask to anyone. It was like starting again.”

In a trailer released on Thursday for the 90-minute Disney+ documentary, Flintoff describes his “vivid” memories of the crash and says he can remember “everything about it”.

A still image from shortly after the incident is shown, depicting staff and crew attending a crashed vehicle at Top Gear’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.

Flintoff said filming the upcoming documentary was “quite strange” at first.

“Since the accident, had the flashbacks, the nightmares and things… you’re talking about it, you’re talking about it quite a lot,” he said.

“I enjoy watching the cricket bits, wish there was more of them in it. The hardest part is seeing people talk about you.”

He added: “I retired so long ago, it almost seems like a different life. Like watching from the outside.”

One of England’s most successful cricketers, Flintoff said he is “loving” his return to the sport coaching England Lions – the development squad underneath England Men’s cricket team.

“I think, with everything that’s happened over the past few years, that’s the one place I feel most comfortable,” he told Jonathan Ross.

“That time when I probably needed it most, cricket embraced me again,” he said.

They 47-year-old returned to television last year with a second series of his BBC programme Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, which saw him take a team of young cricketers from his hometown of Preston on a tour of India a year after the Top Gear crash.

The acclaimed series is up for a Bafta Television Award in the factual series category next month.

In 2023, the BBC “rested” Top Gear for the foreseeable future. A financial settlement was also reached with Flintoff.

Alcaraz beats Djere to reach Barcelona Open quarters

By in News, Sports News
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Top seed Carlos Alcaraz eased into the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open with a straight-set win over Laslo Djere.

Spanish world number two Alcaraz, who triumphed at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, won 6-2 6-4 against Serbia’s unseeded Djere.

Alcaraz won the first five games and produced eight unanswered winners in a dominant first set.

The four-time Grand Slam winner suffered a blip in the second, falling 4-2 behind, before securing the final four games to triumph.

“After going 4-2 down in the second, I played a bit more like what my level is”, said Alcaraz.

“I am very happy that I could step up my level, and seem more like my best and I want to continue”.

The 21-year-old will play fifth seed Alex de Minaur in the last eight on Friday after the Australian thrashed Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.

Unseeded Fearnley beat Spain’s Roberto Carballes on Monday for his first ATP Tour win on clay, but was defeated 6-1 6-2 by De Minaur.

Elsewhere, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev lost 7-5 6-4 to unseeded Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Related topics

  • Tennis

Rebel Wilson admits she regrets daughter’s unique car-inspired name

By in Entertainment News, News

Rebel Wilson was already set to welcome little Royce when she met her now-wife Ramona Agruma, but two years on has shared that ‘she probably shouldn’t’ have given the girl such a high-end name

Rebel Wilson welcomed her daughter via surrogate in November 2022, and gifted her with a one-of-a-kind name

Rebel Wilson has admitted having second thoughts about her daughter’s name. The Australian actress welcomed her only child in November 2022, and shared that the unique moniker may have been a mistake for one hilarious reason. Actress Rebel, 45, welcomed daughter Royce Lillian via surrogate as a single mum, after making the decision to freeze her eggs as she approached turning 40.

While Royce has an unforgettable name, Rebel revealed that as her daughter grows, she might be fitting the title all too well. The star is set to appear on The Jonathan Ross Show this weekend, and told that ITV host that the big name is giving Royce a big personality.

“Her name is Royce. I probably shouldn’t have named her after a British luxury car brand, she’s a bit high maintenance,” Rebel jokingly shared, confirming the connection to fancy Rolls-Royce wheels.

Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson told Jonathan Ross that naming daughter Royce after the ‘luxury British car’ was making the adorable tot ‘high maintenance’(Image: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)

“She’s two and a half now. She’s conned me into massaging her feet before she goes to sleep. I was doing it last night for almost an hour. I said, ‘I should have called you Volvo.’ I don’t know why I got suckered into that.”

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Rebel got married to fashion designer Ramona Agruma last year, and also told host Jonathan about how her sister Liberty was the one to officiate their wedding.

“My sister has a side hustle as a wedding celebrant. The show wedding was in Italy and then we got legally married in Australia. My sister, she had a busy week, she married me and then she married my mum the next day. We didn’t pay her, she’s really upset about that,” she shared.

Ramona and Rebel got engaged in February 2023, and first had a gorgeous ceremony in Sardinia, Italy, in September before following up with more vows in Australia in December.

While Ramona is now also a mum to little Royce, Rebel previously shared that she was on the way to welcoming a child when she first met her wife-to-be – but Ramona wasn’t put off by the surprising news.

“I’d already been planning to use a surrogate to have a child and I’d done several rounds of IVF and I had one embryo transfer, which sadly didn’t work,” she said of her solo pregnancy journey.

She added: “Almost right at meeting Ramona, I was planning on the second embryo transfer, and I was like, ‘Babe I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m going to have a child kind of around November.’

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“Ramona just looked at me and said, ‘Well, I love you and if you have a child, I’m going to love your child exactly the same way.'”

The Jonathan Ross Show, Saturday at 10:20PM on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player

Freddie Flintoff left with ‘crippling anxiety’ as he opens up on Top Gear crash

By in Entertainment News, News

Former Top Gear host Freddie Flintoff speaks about the impact of the crash he had whilst working on the BBC show in 2022 in this weekend’s episode of the Jonathan Ross Show

Freddie Flintoff is a guest on the Jonathan Ross Show this weekend(Image: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)

Presenter Freddie Flintoff has spoken about the impact of the crash he had whilst working on Top Gear three years ago. The cricket coach has also revealed that he experienced “crippling anxiety” amid getting back into the sport.

Freddie, now 47, was left with life-changing injuries after being involved in a crash during filming of the BBC show at its test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey in 2022. A car that he was travelling in is said to have flipped over.

As a result of the incident, the presenter, who was airlifted to hospital, had facial injuries and he’s said to have also broken ribs. BBC Studios, who makes the show, which has since been “rested,” later said it had apologised to him.

And it was announced back in 2023 that BBC Studios had reached an “agreement” with Freddie following the crash. As previously reported, it was not funded by the TV licence fee, as BBC Studios is a commercial arm of the BBC.

BBC Studios said about the settlement at the time: “BBC Studios has reached an agreement with Freddie that we believe supports his continued rehabilitation, return to work and future plans. We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.”

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Freddie – who opens up about the experience in the new Disney+ documentary Flintoff – will be seen discussing the aftermath of the incident on the Jonathan Ross Show this weekend. The former England cricket captain is a guest on Saturday’s episode of the ITV show alongside Jason Isaacs, Rebel Wilson, David Oyelowo, Sophie Willan and Wet Leg.

Freddie Flintoff in a black suit sat on a yellow chair speaking to Jonathan Ross.
Freddie Flintoff (right) speaks to Jonathan Ross (left) about his Top Gear crash on this weekend’s the Jonathan Ross Show(Image: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)

Speaking about having returned to cricket as a coach for the England Lions, Freddie tells host Jonathan Ross: “I think, with everything that’s happened over the past few years, that’s the one place I feel most comfortable.” He adds: “I feel like I’m back home being involved in cricket.”

Freddie continues: “No secret that I had a car accident filming Top Gear. Afterwards, obviously there’s the physical scars that I’ve got. But then the mental side of it. I didn’t leave the house for probably six or eight months. The only times I was leaving the house was for medical appointments and surgeries.”

The guest recalls that one of his pals Rob Key later started inviting him to watch test matches from a “back room” that’s not in the crowd. Freddie, who recalls wearing a “full face mask for months,” says that he started “getting back into it” and finding his feet “a little bit”.

Jonathan Ross, Sophie Willan, David Oyelowo, Jason Isaacs, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff and Rebel Wilson on The Jonathan Ross Show set.
He’s a guest on the ITV talk show alongside Sophie Willan (left), David Oyelowo (centre left), Jason Isaacs (centre) and Rebel Wilson (right)(Image: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)

He shares that cricket “embraced” him again at a time when he “probably needed it most”. Freddie says that he still does TV work, adding: “I’ve got bills to pay.” However tells Jonathan that coaching cricket is his “definite future” and that he’s “loving it”. He suggests that it’s the “one place” where he’s able to “forget everything that’s going on and be present”.

Discussing getting back into cricket, Freddie says on the talk show: “I was struggling with crippling anxiety. I had to have about five or six goes at leaving the room. Had to have a chat with myself in the mirror. I think because I’d not done anything for such a long time. I’d not shown myself without a face mask to anyone. It was like starting again.”

The Jonathan Ross Show airs Saturday night at 10.20pm on ITV, ITV, STV and STV Player. Flintoff will be released on streaming platform Disney+ from April 25.

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Is Sexton’s Lions appointment doomsday for Russell?

By in News, Sports News
English, Tom
The chief sports writer for BBC Scotland
@tenglishsport
Finn Russell of Scotland congratulates Jonathan Sexton of Ireland for his win after the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Ireland and Scotland at Stade de France on October 7, 2023 in Paris, FranceGetty Images

Johnny Sexton is named as the most recent coach to the Irish and British Lions, or perhaps the Irish and British Lions, at mid-morning on Thursday.

Given Sexton’s barbed comments about the Scotland fly-half as recently as February, the discussion turns to what this means for Finn Russell immediately. Finn’s Doomsday,

Over the coming weeks, Sexton will be airing a fantastic interview with The Times from last autumn. Sexton said being omitted from the final Lions tour in 2021 “kills me to this day,” a sentiment that was well expressed in his autobiography, which was released last year.

He anticipated the selection of Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell, but he was unsure of why Warren Gatland chose Russell over him.

As players and people, Sexton and Russell are opposites. They have different viewpoints on the game. Evidently, Sexton has a feud with Russell or with the coverage he inspires.

So the Russell camp’s concern over Sexton’s elevation rise is heightened. That includes Sexton leading the show in Australia as well as an Ireland head coach and an Ireland attack coach.

There is quick-tracking followed by this. Sexton was assigned a vague job title in Andy Farrell’s Ireland coaching ticket consultant for the 2024 November internationals.

He was still active when the Six Nations rolled around, but this time around he was a kicking advisor who mentored the Ireland fly-halves and shared his thoughts on the attack.

Sexton became a Lions coach after spending one-figures on the Tests acting as a coach/mentor. Essentially, the new Neil Jenkins.

Sexton’s views on Russell were exposed in that interview last year, which highlighted some of the things that had grown over the years but were never made public.

In that article, the Irishman described Russell as “flashy” and a “media darling.” The Scotland fly-half has long been regarded as talented but imposing, but this was his first official statement. Where are your medals, he didn’t specifically ask? but it was implied. His words were downplayed.

He then referred to Marcus Smith as flashy in England before turning around. Smith is a generational talent who can play a game while entertaining its audience. His opinion of Russell was not altered in any way.

He even went a step further. Who would Sexton choose for Australia’s Test 10? The majority of observers would have said Russell, and they still do. Owen Farrell, the son of the Lions coach, was Sexton’s choice.

When things get difficult, who do you want? Animals to test. I am aware of the media’s preferences. Marcus Smith, the “funny” and Finn Russell

The words are almost audibly being spelled out. In the trenches, who do you want? The test match animal is who? Not Russell. When all of this was presented to him, the Scot remained stoic. From Sexton to Russell, this has been one-way traffic. The Bath man has never disparaged Sexton in a positive way.

It’s simple to see how Owen Farrell (and Sam Prendergast) are receiving bad news while Owen Farrell is receiving good news. Sexton is a huge fan of Pendergast and a huge fan of Farrell, who was a truly great 10 in his day but who has only played 14 games for a struggling Racing this year (including three yellow cards).

Farrell, 33, has only started three games this year and hasn’t played 139 since January. Although he lacks physical form, his stock may have increased on Thursday. His father could pick him, but since the squad will be announced on May 8th, there is no such thing as favoritism.

Sexton is now a champion for Farrell Junior, and his recommendations for 10 players will have a significant impact. Everything is very intriguing.

Interesting is that Sexton will now start examining Russell from the perspective of a coach rather than a rival player.

He has only recently witnessed a talented operator, but who, in his opinion, has been overrated in the media while winning essentially nothing, who unfairly replaced his Lions in 2021 and broke his heart.

Maybe he’ll discover things about Russell that he’s never allowed to see. Possibly . There is no connection or bond between the two men, despite the fact that they were (briefly) Lions together in 2017 and played each other numerous times.

related subjects

  • Scottish Rugby

FG Inaugurates Committee To Cut Food Imports By 50%

By in News, Nigeria News

The Federal Government has inaugurated an Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation to ensure food security in Nigeria, energy security, and curtail the nation’s dependence on import.

Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the committee at the State House Abuja with a charge to them to work towards cutting down Nigeria’s import bills by 50 percent.

He said the committee is part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to pool intellectual and financial capital to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted.”

Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the committee

According to him, the mission is to build Nigeria into a trillion-dollar economy within 10 years.

READ ALSO: 150 Million Nigerians Now Have Access To Adequate Electricity – Adelabu

“We are here to breathe life not into this Committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade. The future we desire is not something we inherit. It is something we build,” he declared.

On the committee’s terms of reference, VP Shettima said the committee is to coordinate action in five strategic sectors with the power to transform society.

He listed the committee to include “Agriculture and Climate Resilience, where research innovation must feed our people and protect our planet; Manufacturing Excellence, where we break our dependency on imports and build proudly Nigerian supply chains; Healthcare Innovation, where we shift from importing medicines to exporting medical breakthroughs; Natural Resource Optimisation, where we stop selling raw materials and start exporting ingenuity; and Energy Security, where we power our economy and secure our future.”

Some members of the committee

The Vice President explained that a major target for setting up the committee is to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 per cent, maintaining that “in each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics.

“We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives. What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50%? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” he added.

Senator Shettima disclosed that the committee is a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Tinubu, saying the high-level plenary, which will be held annually, will be presided over by the President himself.

“This Committee is only the beginning. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved a Presidential Plenary on Innovation—an annual high-level forum that will bring together academia, research institutes, industry, civil society, and the Nigerian people to align our national innovation priorities.

“This Plenary will be addressed by Mr President himself, because innovation is a presidential area of priority. It is central to his vision for a new Nigeria,” the VP explained.

Earlier, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who commended the leadership provided by the Vice President and the commitment of the relevant ministries, departments and agencies, noted that collaboration was critical in the renewed vigour to prioritise research and innovation.

The minister said the inter-ministerial committee would help the country save scarce resources and move faster in the right direction, by harmonising efforts, human and material resources for the purpose of enhancing research and innovation across critical sectors of the economy.

“The keyword here is collaboration. We have been spending a lot of money on our various ministries, duplicating our functions. I believe that with this collaboration and this committee here, we will save a lot of money for the government and reduce duplication,” the Minister said.