Top Gear host and former cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was injured in an accident this week while filming the BBC show on its test track at Dusnfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey, England. Flintoff received medical care at the scene and was airlifted to a hospital for further treatment.
His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, the BBC reported. More details are expected “in due course,” a spokeperson said while a source told The Sun Flintoff was not driving at high speed.
Flintoff is a former England cricket captain turned entertainer who joined Top Gear in 2018, after Matt LeBlanc announced his exit, and shares hosting duties with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
This is not the first accident Flintoff has had while making the show, nor is it the series’ first. In 2019, he crashed into a market stall in Nottinghamshire and also had a potentially serious accident during a drag race when he lost control at 124mph while filming at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire. He was unharmed in both instances.
Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond suffered serious injuries while filming at Elvington in 2006, leaving him in a coma for two weeks.
Flintoff has starred in Sky One series A League Of Their Own with James Corden, appeared on the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, and fronted documentaries including BBC One’s Field of Dreams. When he joined Top Gear, one of the BBC’s most successful programs, he said, “It’s not often you have the chance to do both of your dream jobs, but I’m now lucky enough to say I will have. I’ve always been passionate about cars and I’m so excited to be joining the Top Gear team.”