Freddie Flintoff gets ready for BBC Field of Dreams TV comeback after £9m payout following Top Gear crash
Freddie was not seen for several months following the crash.
Freddie Flintoff is making his return to the BBC after a dangerous Top Gear crash left him “lucky to be alive”.
The 46-year-old sustained serious facial injuries and broken ribs when the car he was driving veered off the road at 130mph at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.
The BBC later announced they would be halting the latest series of the popular show due to the incident.
In September, Flintoff made his first public appearance since the crash at the England cricket team's opening one-day international against New Zealand.
He was sporting a number of visible scars and cuts on his face and also appeared to be wearing tape across his nose.
Now, after reportedly agreeing a financial settlement with the corporation’s commercial branch BBC Studios worth £9m, Flintoff has been spotted once again, this time filming a forthcoming TV project with the channel – and a new photo showed that his injuries are on their way to being healed.
Flintoff is said to be filming a second series of BBC cricket series Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, which will take him to India to shoot with the Lancashire Cricket Academy, who are on tour.
A source told The Sun: "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."
Flintoff retired from cricket in 2009 after a hugely successful career, during which he played 79 Tests and over 140 one-day international matches for England.
He joined the Top Gear presenting team in 2019, where he worked alongside fellow co-hosts Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness.
Flintoff's teenage son Son Corey previously said his dad was “lucky to be alive” following the crash.
In a statement in November, the BBC said: "Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
"The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show's renaissance since 2019, and we're excited about new projects being developed with each of them.
"We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do."