They were only 54 words, but they made me happier than any text message I’ve ever received.
For eight months I sent my old friend Freddie Flintoff regular pleas via WhatsApp asking how he was doing after the horrific car smash he suffered while filming his hit BBC show Top Gear.
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It was fantastic to see Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff back in public after his horrific Top Gear accident Credit: Rex
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There is something special about Freddie, who has had a terrible experience
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Piers received a text message from Freddie about what he had been through
And for eight months there was no answer; just the constant, increasingly disturbing silence of a guy I’ve known for 20 years, correspond with often, and consider a great friend.
The longer the silence lasted, the more I worried about what exactly had happened to him in the accident that I knew he was lucky to have survived.
Watch Piers Morgan uncensored weekdays on Sky 522, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 or Fox Nation in the US
And my growing anxiety wasn’t helped by the fact that even the people closest to him, like his wife Rachael and members of his management team, didn’t say a word about his condition.
I was simply told that the “periscope was down”, which did nothing to ease my worries.
Many of Freddie’s former Ashes-winning team-mates were also in the dark about what he was like, were also getting no replies to messages and were just as desperate as I was for good news about the great man who holds such a special place in England’s sporting hearts.
Then this summer I heard rumors that he secretly attended some days of the recent Ashes series against Australia, but did so strictly incognito, covering his face and watching the game from the back offices of the stadium with his best friend Rob Key, the managing director of the England men’s cricket team.
But it was said that he was still in bad shape, physically and mentally, and that he was not yet ready for a wider audience.
Finally, last Friday, without any fanfare or announcement, Freddie made his first public appearance, on the pitch with the England team in Cardiff as they prepared for a one-day international against New Zealand.
His famously handsome face still bore the rather shocking visible evidence of the terrible wounds he had sustained in the accident, but otherwise he looked like old Fred – laughing and joking as he helped the players practice.
I texted him and Rachael to say how happy the photos made me, and to my amazement, Freddie replied.
I won’t say what he wrote in the message because he hasn’t said anything publicly about what happened that fateful day last December, and it’s up to him to choose what he wants to say when he decides to.
But he sounded very positive and said that he likes to come back to the world of cricket again.
To understand exactly what Freddie went through, we have to go back to Dunsfold Park Airport in Surrey where Top Gear shoots most of its films on a specially designed test track.
I was watching Sky Sports News on 14th December 2022 when I heard the breaking news that Freddie had been ‘injured’ in some sort of collision but that the BBC had said his injuries were not life threatening.
However, his 16-year-old son Corey told the newspaper later that day that it was a ‘pretty nasty accident’, Freddie was ‘lucky to be alive’ and added rather ominously: ‘We’re all shocked but we just hope he goes away be okay.’
Only now do we know how bad the accident was and how close he was to death.
Freddie was driving a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 open car, inexplicably without a helmet and without an airbag to protect him, when he suddenly overturned in dangerous icy conditions and flew up the track on its side, causing massive damage to Freddie’s face and chest in the process.
It has not been revealed exactly how fast the car was traveling, but the Morgan Super 3 can reach speeds of 130km/h and fearless Freddie has never been shy on the accelerator on Top Gear.
Scandalously, as first reported by The Sun, he had to spend 45 minutes writhing in agony after the incident because BBC staff could not find a stretcher.
He was eventually airlifted to hospital for a four-hour operation, and that was the least the public had seen of him until last week.
When Freddie finally reappeared, he was met with a rapturous response that was hardly surprising given his status as a national treasure, earned with his iconic heroics in the 2005 Ashes series and fueled by a string of entertaining, heartwarming TV shows since then. pension.
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Freddie is a generous, generous and loyal man who has been through a lot in life Credits: Rex
I was so glad to see him alive.
There is something very special about Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff.
He is extremely charming, honest, intelligent (he was a standard chess player), generous, broad-hearted and loyal.
We’ve dined and partied together all over the world, from Antigua to Beverly Hills, both in his drunken days and sober days—he quit drinking nine years ago—and he’s always been equally entertaining company.
And whenever I’ve asked him for a favor over the two decades of our friendship, he’s always said yes—whether it’s agreeing to interviews like our memorable Life Stories reunion, donating personal money to countless charities, or coming to play for my annual family game against my village of the cricket team (which he did three times).
To give you an idea of what he’s like, when my younger brother Rupert turned 50 two years ago, I asked Freddie for a note to read to him at his party.
The two became close back in 2005 when England won at The Oval and embarked on a huge team fight until 6am.
Freddie invited me to join them, but I had to do a bloody book signing in Birmingham, so Rupert went instead, and I woke up to a voicemail from him saying: ‘Bruv, I’m absolutely devastated. I was with Freddie and the boys all night. Best party ever! I can’t believe you went to Birmingham instead?’
Nor could I. And neither could Freddie.
‘The night after the last Ashes Test in 2005 was the best of my life for many reasons,’ read his birthday message to my brother.
‘Obviously I beat the Aussies for the first time in 18 years, and I did well, but mostly because I had a real brother, Morgan, to celebrate. Although Piers had put in hundreds of hours over the years rubbing the guts of various players to try and be part of the shrine, he was nowhere to be found that night.
‘Instead, there was the great man Rupert Morgan, his younger, far prettier and more charismatic brother, leading the charge – as any self-respecting cricket fan would – as we celebrated the best Test series in history with fine champagne, even finer French wine, beer and cigars. Meanwhile, Piers was in Birmingham signing copies of his latest book about the comings and goings of a host of Z-list celebrities.
‘I can only thank the good people of Birmingham for taking one for the team, I will be forever in your debt. Happy Birthday Rupes, I can’t believe you’re 50, but if you ever feel down about it, think back to 2005 and that night will always make you smile. If that doesn’t work, then just be happy in the knowledge that you’re not Piers. I love Fred.’
It was as hilarious as it was devastating, and of course it brought the house down when I read it.
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Freddie was driving a three-wheel open Morgan Super 3 car when it suddenly overturned in dangerous icy conditions Credit: Reuters
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Freddie Flintoff had a turbulent time with cricket, secretly battling bulimia and depression Credit: Rex
On Thursday, Freddie texted me again from my favorite London restaurant, Cambio de Tercio in Chelsea, asking if I was going to the England game at Lord’s yesterday.
Ironically, I was in the restaurant myself on Tuesday and found myself sitting at a table near current England stars Joe Root and Jos Buttler, and we were talking about how delighted we all were by Freddie’s reappearance.
(What Freddie didn’t know while he was eating his The Spanish dinner saw him dining alone next to fellow Lancaster who has also been through hell and back – Martin Hibbert, who was left paralyzed in the Manchester Arena terror attack while attending an Ariana Grande concert with his teenage daughter who also suffered terrible injuries. )
Freddie Flintoff had a turbulent time with cricket, secretly battling bulimia and depression, as well as a series of career-ending injuries.
But when it came to getting his life back on track, he turned back to the sport he still loved and gave him his nickname.
As former England captain and commentator David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, another great friend of his, said: ‘Andrew is at home. He’s Freddie again.’
Welcome back mate!
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Freddie described the wild 2005 Ashes celebrations as the best night of his lifeCredit: PA
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He later also inspired England to win the Ashes in 2009. Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
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Freddie was loyally supported by his wife Rachael throughout the ordealCredit: Rex Features
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The future of Top Gear is now in doubt following Freddie’s life-threatening accident Credit: Alamy
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