After Freddie’s accident in 2022, the friendship between Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff strained, with both struggling to reconnect.
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.
The 47-year-old TV presenter, who was involved in the accident, made an admission about his struggles and admitted he wished he had passed away. He said, “I thought my face had fallen off.”
A visibly distressed Freddie revealed in the bombshell new Disney+ documentary how much the accident altered his life, including how his friendships with Paddy, his best friend and co-star, and why he is 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.
READ MORE: Freddie Flintoff’s ex team-mate ‘couldn’t stop crying’ after seeing his horrific injuries
Who knows what the 51-year-old Take Me Out host must be going through, he admitted to The Sun? We continue to chat, we continue to have the same barber, and it’s all lovely.
If you can’t be bothered by that, I messaged Fred and said, “Look, I can’t begin to think what you’re going through, but I’m always here.” I’m hoping you’re doing well, and may God bless you.
You can’t begin to put yourself in his shoes, he said, “just can’t begin.” Nobody is aware of what is happening in his head. “Paddy was one of the first people to speak out after Freddie’s accident.”
After becoming distant with Paddy this week, Freddie broke his silence, blaming the fact that it was “triggering” for him to stop speaking to his co-star. He said, “We’ve been in contact, but I feel bad that I haven’t spoken to Chris and Paddy more.” He continued, “Part of it is, for myself a little bit, you know what I mean. Although I detest the term “triggering,” I’m concerned about that.
He also revealed how deeply resentful he is of how those closest to him have their careers affected by his accident. According to Freddie, “The show] is something that, in some ways, stopped because of what happened to me.” I feel sorry for them because their careers have also been altered. Additionally, it seems like what transpired gets pushed up too far on my own, without adding anything to that.
McGuinness expressed his love for his former co-star, saying, “I love Fred, despite the rift between them. He claimed that he is a good person. I know absolutely nothing about cricket, which is the crazy thing about getting along with him so well. I’ve never watched it, never participated in it, and never played it. I was aware of the famous names Freddie, Ian Botham, and Michael Vaughan.
He remarked that he occasionally reflected on his thoughts, “Me, Fred and Chris Harris], and every time we worked together, we just laughed. It was a really lovely experience.
Freddie also revealed his agonizing thoughts following the accident. I didn’t believe I had it in me to get through the accident. I wish I had been killed, and a portion of me wishes I had.
Don’t mistake the two things for the fact that I didn’t want to kill myself, but I was thinking, “This would have been so much simpler.”
He had more physical scars after the collision than just. He acknowledged at the time that he was afraid of people because he didn’t believe I had a face. “I believed my face had splintered,” Freddie exclaimed.
READ MORE: Sky’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE deal includes free earbuds and keyboard
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply