I got early access to the Flintoff documentary & it’s an emotional watch -especially if you’re from Lancashire

Being a reporter in Freddie Flintoff’s hometown of Preston has meant I have been following his career steps ever since I joined the Lancashire Post.

Just like the rest of Lancashire, it’s been great to see a local lad continue to do so well even after such a record breaking sporting career had come to an end.

It was then a devastating shock to hear of his life threatening crash and I was sad and concerned in the silent months that followed.

In the documentary, Freddie talks about his months away from the spotlight and how the most annoying thing was the speculation and the relentless harassment of the press trying to catch sight of his newly injured face.

But unlike the national media hounds he refers to, we as a local paper stayed back and I’m pleased to see now that Freddie is ready to share his story on his own terms.

And my god what an honest story.

From going into the details of his medical treatment to reflecting on his past-life and assessing his current mental and physical state, not many stones were unturned.

It was also touching to see that Freddie is still the same man he presented to the world in his cricketing and TV careers- he is down to earth, funny and straight to the point.

But it is in Freddie’s most direct moments in the show that the changes in Freddie are laid most bare- the effects the crash had on his mental health.

Some moments were emotional to see, for instance when he admitted he sees the car in his head every time he goes to sleep or that his three-year-old child was too scared to go near him post crash at first.

Freddie’s description of his own PTSD will touch many people and for those who can relate I’m sure they will appreciate him drawing attention to it so bravely.

Aside from the mental, the physical injuries were put on stark display which I was surprised to see and I would warn those who are squamish to perhaps close those eyes at those parts- the images were haunting.

The documentary over-all wasn’t sad though, it was celebratory of the man that is Andrew, Freddie, Flintoff.

As someone who, dare I admit, wasn’t born when he made his England debut, I enjoyed seeing all his career highs from his unbelievable sporting career.

I also liked finally understanding why Andrew Flintoff the young Preston boy became Freddie Flintoff the superstar cricketer (I could never get my head around name changes as a kid).

There were then plenty of sentimental moments, from seeing old footage of himself as a child with his parents to hearing more about his and wife Rachel’s relationship for the first time.

From a Lancashire perspective, there were scenes demonstrating and inciting local pride- I got a bit teary when they spoke about the impact Freddie had on the people of Preston and I just work there!

When I heard Freddie was doing a Disney + documentary, I was shocked, it was the feeling of irony that he had been keeping everything so private and then was doing a huge expose.

Regardless of the crash, it’s also out of character: there is a fairly sweet moment in the documentary where Freddie admits he’s never featured in a documentary talking about Ashes 2005 as it feels like boasting.

But he is allowed to ‘boast’, to use Freddie’s terminology, and it doesn’t come across like that because he is so modest and the achievements so great.

Instead the documentary feels very appropriate, as if the need to offer clarity on one of the hardest experiences of his life also gave the perfect excuse to celebrate his life at last.

It was a complete package of Freddie’s life and whilst the focus near the end was about how Freddie’s cricket coaching career could go all the way, he is as captivating as ever, and opening audiences up to see more of his life story will only warm public affection to him more.

If I was shocked that Freddie was doing a Disney + documentary, I will be more shocked if this return to the media world does not mark a new dawn of his media career- first step of course being Bullseye...

Freddie is already a Lancashire treasure - always has been, always will - but his status as a national one is sure to be cemented in no time.