Freddie Flintoff's life with wife Rachael and their kids after Top Gear crash

Former cricketer Andrew ' was supported by his family after his car crash on the set of three years ago. The presenter and his wife Rachael Flintoff have both given insights into their life as a family since the incident.

Freddie, 47, after being involved in a crash during filming of the show at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey in 2022. Co-host , who hosted the show alongside Freddie and , was also present at the test track at the time.

A car that Freddie was travelling in flipped over and he for urgent treatment. BBC Studios, who made the show, later said it had apologised to Freddie, who had facial injuries and broken ribs. It was announced in 2023 that BBC Studios with Freddie, and as reported, the settlement was not funded by the TV licence fee, as BBC Studios is a commercial arm of the BBC.

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His wife Rachael of the crash in the upcoming documentary Flintoff, which will be released tomorrow. As previously reported, Rachael, who calls her husband Andy, said: "When I did see him, I walked in the room, and he was just in the bed, and he was bandaged up. Like his eyes, I've never seen someone so scared in their eyes.

"And he just stared at me, and I just think he was looking at me to know how bad he was. So to be fair, I totally pulled myself together, and I just didn't cry. I didn't, I just said, 'it's fine. You're gonna be okay. I can't believe how amazing you look'.

"Before we got home, I did, I did call the kids, and I did say to them, 'you've just got to be as strong as you've ever been. Your dad does look different at the moment. It's gonna get better, but I don't want you to look shocked and horrified, because that's gonna knock him'. And that was hard, but Andy doesn't know I've ever done that. I was so grateful to all those people, I still had a husband, the kids still had their dad."

, Freddie - who shares children Holly, Corey, Rocky and Preston with his wife - recalls spending a lot of time at home after the incident. He shared: "The only time we were getting out is for medical stuff."

He said: "And what I've done, I suppose, in this house, it's become safe and it's good to step outside of it. You want to be there for the kids, and you don't want to miss stuff. You know, unfortunately, we got four of them." Emotional, he adds: "I spent all this time with a three-and-a-half year old [Preston]. He won't come near. I think he were frightened of my face. Frightened of me. That was heartbreaking."

After the shocking revelation that Freddie had to be airlifted to the hospital following the crash, fans expressed their love and concern for his wife Rachael. Their son Corey, 16 at the time, disclosed that Rachael hurried to her husband's side after the accident.

Following the harrowing crash involving Freddie, his second eldest son Corey as Freddie was evacuated by air ambulance to receive urgent medical care. The young lad confided that upon hearing the news, his mother immediately hastened to join the legend at his hospital bedside.

Talking to MailOnline at the time, Corey explained: "He's OK. I'm not too sure what happened but he is lucky to be alive. It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he's going to be OK."

More recently, Freddie has got back into cricket, after retiring a decade ago, and is now a coach for the England Lions. Rachel has credited the sport following the crash he had whilst filming Top Gear.

As previously reported, she said: "It's like back where he belongs, for a girl who knew nothing about cricket, or very little about cricket, it's definitely become a big part of my life, and when Andrew needed it most, cricket was there for him. I mean, it sounds a bit saying a bit over the top to say, but I do think cricket saved him. It gave him a reason for being again."

Freddie and Rachael's love story began back in 2002 when former model and businesswoman Rachael encountered the sports icon at Birmingham's Edgbaston cricket ground while promoting her business. After a whirlwind romance that lasted three years, Freddie and Rachael sealed their union with a lavish ceremony in 2005 at the Pavilion Road Hotel in Knightbridge, London.

Speaking in the Disney+ documentary, Rachel said that she didn't know who he was when they first met but there was "just something about him that was different". She also recalled him making her laugh early on.

Now settled into domestic bliss, they reside in a plush £2.5 million Altrincham property in Manchester, sharing their home with their brood - Holly, Corey, Rocky, and Preston. Despite enjoying a successful career and a fulfilling family life, Freddie has faced his fair share of internal struggles.

He has been candid about his mental health issues in the past, fighting against depression and conceding that it was Rachael who supported him during some particularly challenging times. Freddie opened up about experiencing depression during the catastrophic 2006-7 Ashes series in and acknowledged an escalation in his drinking during the 2007 World Cup.

In the documentary Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side Of Sport, he shared a poignant moment from his past: "I was having a quiet drink with my dad Colin on Eve 2006 [having already lost the Ashes] and as we made our way home I started crying my eyes out." He confessed to his father, "I told him I'd tried my best but that I couldn't do it any more, I couldn't keep playing."

Despite the emotional turmoil, Flintoff said: "We talked and, of course, I dusted myself down and carried on. But I was never the same player again. I was captain of England and financially successful. I didn't want to get out of bed, never mind face people."

The accident wasn't the first time Freddie suffered a near-fatal incident. In 2020, he crashed at an incredible speed of 124mph after losing control. He was piloting a motorised trike known as a Time Bandit, which required him to be prone, facing the tarmac at York's Elvington Airfield, where he missed the mark on the track.

The Top Gear camera crew and his co-hosts Paddy and Chris were left in shock as they witnessed Freddie veer off the runway, kicking up a storm of dust. During a drag race against his co-hosts, who were in a Nissan GTR and a modified garden shed, Flintoff's misjudgement led to the harrowing incident.

Footage from a headcam later released shows the terrifying moment Flintoff shot onto a grassy area at the airfield's edge near York. "I can't stop - I'm out of runway," he yells to his fellow stars in the nail-biting clip. After the incident, Flintoff assured everyone that he was 'absolutely fine'.

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Flintoff will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland on April 25.

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