Paddy McGuinness offers an update on Preston's Freddie Flintoff after Top Gear crash

Paddy McGuinness has said his Top Gear co-star Freddie Flintoff is a “resilient character” who will be “right as rain” after the former cricketer suffered a crash during filming which left him with serious facial and rib injuries.

Freddie was taken to hospital in December 2022 after he crashed at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey and the BBC announced the motoring programme will be “rested” for the foreseeable future in the wake of the accident.

The 46-year-old father of four has since made a gradual return the public eye, rejoining England’s backroom staff for their T20 series against West Indies earlier this year and as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.

Asked how Freddie is doing now, 50-year-old Paddy told ITV’s Good Morning Britain this week: “He’s all right. I’ve not spoken to him for a while, but, you know, he is getting on with it.

“He’s a very resilient character, is Fred. So I’ve no doubt he’ll be right as rain.”

Asked if he ever experienced hair-raising moments while filming the show, Paddy joked: “Working with Chris Harris was the main one for me, that is a bit much.

“Lots of things, honestly. I sound like a politician now, but I can’t really get into the ins and outs, because there’s all stuff still going on with Top Gear.

“At some point, it will all get sorted out.”

The Ashes-winning sportsman and Take Me Out host made their debut as Top Gear presenters in June 2019 for the 27th series of the BBC Two show, joining Chris Harris who started as a lead host in 2017.

While Top Gear is on pause, Paddy will head out on the road on a stand-up comedy tour for the first time in eight years and he will be performing the show twice in Lancashire.

The father of three commented: “A tour takes up a lot your time so I’ve just genuinely never had time to put it in.

“It’s always in the back of my mind. I’m always writing stuff down and when Top Gear was paused, because Top Top Gear takes a massive chunk of the time, I was like: ‘I can do it now.’

“And if I didn’t do it, I would never have done it and so it’s great because I put the tickets on sale, and they flew out, so it’s quite flattering.

“But then you start thinking: ‘Oh, I’ve got to do it.'”

Asked if he felt any nerves, Paddy said: “You’re always going to be nervous going on stage, but I think it’s quite seducing when you’re on stage with a live audience and they’re laughing and you get that instant interaction.

“It is a very seducing feeling, you know.

“But I’m one of those people, as soon as I walk off stage, I turn it off.

“I can’t wait to get home and watch Ice Road Truckers or something like that.” McGuinness described his material as “observational” but added: “I’m writing stuff at the minute and it might be my age, but I’m now at an age where I’m like: ‘They’re getting it, I can’t wait to talk about that.’

“I’m in that slightly perturbed by things in the world (stage).”