FREDDIE FLINTOFF’S former England team-mate burst into tears after seeing the extent of his injuries for the first time.
While filming an episode of Top Gear in 2022, the cricketer-turned-presenter was involved in a horror crash.
Flintoff was driving a three-wheeled sports car that overturned and dragged him along the track.
The ex-England captain required extensive facial surgery and old pal Steve Harmison broke down in tears after seeing a photo of the injuries.
Harmison told talkSPORT: “I first met Andrew in 1996. We both retired from England in the same game in 2009 and at the time we shared a room together.
“It was a difficult time for him and for [his wife] Rachael and the kids. He was always image conscious.
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“I saw some of the pictures before he went into surgery.
“When he sent them to me, I didn’t stop crying for a long, long time.
“He’s lucky to be still with us. He’s lucky he’s been patched up and they’ve done a wonderful job.
“His confidence is back and it’s great to see him back in cricket.”
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Flintoff has since returned to cricket as a coach of the England Lions and is back on TV screens.
In a Disney+ documentary about the crash, the emotional former Ashes winner said: “After the accident, I didn’t think I had it in me to get through.
“This sounds awful: part of me wishes I had been killed, part of me thinks, ‘I wish I had died‘.
“I didn’t want to kill myself, don’t mistake the two things, but I was thinking, ‘this would have been so much easier’.
“My biggest fear was I didn’t think I had a face. I thought my face had come off.”
Harmison, who features in the documentary, said hearing that was “heartbreaking”.
