Who is Freddie Flintoff? The story of the Preston cricketer and TV star from 1977 to 2023

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff has become well-known as an all-rounder, both in the world of international cricket and TV, most recently appearing as a host on Top Gear, which has had to halt filming due to a crash Freddie was involved in last year. Find out more about his life below:

Cricket career

Born in Preston on December 6 1977, his sporting career saw him take part in several international cricket tours with England youth teams before making his debut for Lancashire in 1995.

In 1999 he made his senior international debut against Pakistan, scoring 50, and later that year became the first Lancashire player to score a century before lunch in a Roses match against Yorkshire.

After helping England clinch the Ashes in 2005, Freddie was named man of the series and jointly awarded the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year award, before winning BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

A year later he was made an MBE by Queen and named man of the Test series in India.

After undergoing ankle surgery Freddie was named England captain for the Ashes tour of Australia, but was replaced by Michael Vaughan after a 5-0 Test whitewash.

Flintoff was re-appointed captain in January 2007 and he went on to lead the team to victory in the Cricket World Cup.

In 2009, Flintoff ended his England career on a high, helping the team defeat Australia to seal a 2-1 Ashes series win.

He retired from professional cricket in 2010, having consulted with medical advisors, but returned briefly in 2014 to play Twenty20 for Lancashire.

Flintoff becomes a familiar face on television

After his cricket career ended, Freddie began taking part in reality and panel shows and appeared as the face of Morrisons.

In 2010 he became a team captain on Sky’s A League Of Their Own, and in 2012 the BBC aired a documentary he produced titled Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side Of Sport in which he spoke to sporting professionals about the serious effects of depression, and confronted his own issues while England captain.

Freddie was then crowned king of the jungle in the first series of the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015.

After appearing in the BBC drama Love, Lies And Records in 2017, he made his musical theatre debut in Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical and hosted All Star Musicals for ITV in December the same year.

Recent career

Freddie was announced as the new host of Top Gear in October 2018 alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris for the BBC show’s 27th series.

In February 2019, Flintoff was involved in a minor car incident when he crashed into a market stall in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and in September of the same year, he crashed during a 124mph drag race while filming at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, but walked away unharmed.

In a 2020 documentary Freddie revealed he had developed the eating disorder bulimia nervosa while trying to keep up with his slimmer, fitter teammates during his cricket career, prompted by scrutiny from fans, the press and colleagues.

Freddie Flintoff On Bulimia, which saw him meet experts and male sufferers, was hailed for offering a better understanding of what it means to be a man with an eating disorder.

His latest crash took place while filming at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, and there are now reports he has quit the show.