Freddie Flintoff seen in public for the first time since Top Gear crash after BBC addresses show’s future

Freddie Flintoff has been spotted in public for the first time since his Top Gear crash.

The former cricketer was photographed with his wife four months after he was involved in an accident while filming an episode ofthe BBC show in December.

Flintoff was spotted wearing sunglasses and a bucket hat sitting in the passenger seat of his car. His wife, Rachel Wools Flintoff, was driving.

The photographs were obtained and published by The Sun.

An onlooker told the publication that the athlete was “reading something on his phone and stayed in the car while Rachael popped into a shop”.

They added: “It was good to see him out and about in public, and apparently doing well after what he has been through.”

Flintoff was airlifted to hospital on 13 December last year after crashing while filming a car review at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, home of the Top Gear test track.

At the time, insiders said that the resulting injuries were “non-life threatening”. His 16-year-old son, however, said that his father was “lucky to be alive”, calling the incident “a pretty nasty crash”.

Flintoff and a crew member in the passenger seat were wearing helmets at the time of the accident, but he suffered facial injuries and several broken ribs.

In a statement at the time, Flintoff said: “I’m absolutely fine and was back filming today. I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far!”

The airfield is the same one where former Top Gear star Richard Hammond previously crashed in 2006. Hammond suffered paranoia, memory loss, and depression as a result of brain damage caused by the accident.

In March, the BBC announced that they had decided not to resume filming Top Gear after the horrific accident that happened during production.

In a statement given at the time, the BBC said: “Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34.

“We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.

“We understand this [halting the show] will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we’ll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year.”

The broadcaster added that it would be conducting a health and safety review of the show.

Flintoff – who retired from professional cricket in 2009 – was a presenter on Top Gear for three years before the crash. He became a presenter in 2019 alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.