Freddie Flintoff launching TV comeback after horrific Top Gear crash & £9m payout as pics show his injuries are healing
Freddie became a recluse for several months after the horror incident
FREDDIE Flintoff is limbering up for his TV comeback following his Top Gear crash.
He is seen in new pictures, which show the terrible facial injuries he suffered in 2022 have healed substantially since his previous public appearance seven months ago.
Ashes cricket hero Freddie, 46, slammed the brakes on his TV career for more than a year — and received £9million compensation from BBC Studios.
But he is now filming a second series of his Beeb cricket reality show Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams.
A TV insider said yesterday: “This will be a huge comfort to his fans because it shows he’s healing well and returning to two of his greatest passions — sport and television.
“It’s obvious that there is some scarring, which everyone expected, but Freddie looks to have made huge progress since he was last seen in public playing cricket.
“He’s clearly comfortable enough to get in front of a camera again — something which was not the case this time last year.
“They’re nervous first steps, as he’s recovering both mentally and physically, but the TV show he’s making is a real passion project for him.”
The first Field of Dreams series featured him returning to his home city of Preston to recruit youngsters and introduce them to the sport.
And in the sequel, he takes them to cricket-mad India.
The latest images of Freddie were taken in neighbouring Sri Lanka where he recently met members of the Lancashire Cricket Academy on tour.
The ex-England cricket captain was smiling and seemed at ease as he chatted with youngsters — and looked a picture of health as he posed with Sri Lanka spin-bowling great Muttiah Muralitharan.
It is a far cry from December 2022, when Freddie had to be airlifted to hospital following the accident at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, Surrey.
He was said to be lucky to be alive after the crash during filming of an episode of Top Gear with co-stars Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
The three-wheel roadster he was driving flipped, leaving the father of four with substantial facial lacerations, broken bones and damage to his teeth.
He became a recluse for several months and The Sun exclusively revealed last year that he was standing down from doing more TV work.
In September, he appeared in public for the first time when he took to the pitch at the Oval to help during an England cricket team practice session.
It was revealed in November that Top Gear was being “rested” after an external BBC health and safety investigation.
But Freddie took the decision to return to his media career, with several projects in the pipeline throughout 2024.
