Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, a former sports star and television personality, has revealed the tragic accident that almost cost his life while he was filming the BBC series Top Gear.
Freddie Flintoff’s earnings took a huge hit following his horrifying Top Gear crash that left the former cricket star fighting for his life. Thankfully, the 47-year-old pulled through, with his gruesome injuries shown in full for the first time in a new Disney+ documentary.
However, there was a time in his recovery where Freddie – whose real name is Andrew – wondered if he had any career left to go back to. Prior to his crash, Freddie Flintoff Enterprises Ltd was making a £1million-a-year profit from his hosting duties.
But after that fateful day in Surrey in 2022, everything changed. Following the crash, the star’s profit decreased to £256, 000, according to accounts.
And latest accounts from 2023 to 2024 show he made a loss of almost £647,000, according to the Sun.
It’s said the popular TV personality’s compensation figure from the incident is a “reflection” of his career value, according to an insider. Speaking to the publication, the source said: “He got £9million compensation from BBC Studios, a figure which left many staggered.
He continued, “But between 2020 and 2022, he was earning almost £1 million annually. The enormous sum represents how much of his earnings he lost and how much he still has to lose in these uncertain times.
Freddie’s legal team at the time of his settlement told the Sun that the former cricketer was still recovering from “life-alteringly significant” injuries. Now, images of the extent of his injuries have been shown in full.
Flintoff’s medical professional, Surgeon Jahrad Haq, described his injuries as “very complex.” The star also had fractured and displaced parts of the upper jaw bone, lost teeth, and hard and soft tissue injuries.
The new documentary also sees Freddie claim TV bosses treated him “like a piece of meat” in the lead up to his Top Gear crash. Speaking about television and the thirst to make everything bigger and better than before, Flintoff says: “I think that is the danger that TV falls into. And I found out the hard way eventually.
“There is always more,” he said. Everyone desires more. Everyone desires something new. That bigger stunt is something everyone desires. Everyone wants to go a little deeper.
Everyone desires an exclusive, they say. Everyone wants that near miss, because that will attract viewers, oh, oh. Always and always about viewers are everything.
“And I should have been sincere about this because I already learned this in sports, with all the accidents, the injections, the times I was sent out on a cricket field and treated like a piece of meat. That includes sport and TV. It’s quite similar, in my opinion. You are merely a commodity. You’re merely a piece of meat, ” “
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Source: Mirror
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