Inside Freddie Flintoff’s marriage to wife he ‘put through hell’ with booze & depression battle before horror crash

HE is the legendary England cricketer who has battled back from depression, bulimia and now a near-fatal car crash that has left him with extensive facial scarring.

But throughout Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s many struggles his supportive and understanding wife Rachael Wools, 43, has stood steadfastly by his side.

14 Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff married former model Rachael Wools back in 2004 Credit: Getty

14 Tonight he bravely opens up about his 'anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks' following the horror 2022 car crash Credit: YouTube/@bbc

14 The father-of-four says has 'felt sorry' for his wife Rachael during his struggles Credit: Getty

The sportsman, who played 79 Tests for England, previously admitted to having put his partner “through hell” during their 19-year long marriage and his debilitating mental health struggles.

During his International career, Freddie was renowned for his excessive boozing - often returning home in early hours “stinking and falling over” while Rachael was left to take care of their children.

At the same time, he secretly struggled with bulimia after being labelled “a fat cricketer” which left him constantly “hangry - angry because I was hungry” and took a toll on the family.

Freddie admitted Rachael “used to get the worst of me” and he would often “feel sorry” for her during those days before quitting alcohol and working to overcome his eating disorder.

In December 2022, there was yet another blow for the couple when the sportsman suffered a near-fatal crash while filming Top Gear and she was warned to “expect the worst”.

Freddie, now 46, was lucky to survive but suffered broken ribs and severe facial injuries that required multiple operations, left him unable to leave the house for months at a time and plunged him into more mental anguish.

Tonight he speaks out about the heartbreaking toll on him and his family in the new BBC documentary Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams: On Tour.

“I genuinely should not be here with what happened,” said Freddie, who was filming the second series at the time of the crash.

“It's going to be a long road back and I've only just started. I'm going to need help. I really am. I'm not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes.”

Inside Freddie Flintoff’s 20 year marriage to model he ‘put through hell’ with booze & depression battle before horror crash - as he makes TV comeback

Later in the documentary, he bravely admitted: “I struggle with anxiety. I have nightmares, I have flashbacks. It's been so hard to cope with.”

While Freddie has admitted he finds it difficult to open up, there’s one person who he has constantly relied on - his wife Rachael, who has stood by him throughout all his troubles.

'Bowled over'

The former England captain, who earned his nickname due to the closeness of his surname to cartoon character Fred Flintstone, met his future wife back in 2002 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

Model Rachael was promoting her events business Strawberry Promotions, which supplied promo staff for posh events, at the Birmingham sports arena.

14 Freddie has rarely been seen publicly since his 2022 crash and suffered facial scarring Credit: Rex

14 A Morgan Super 3 three-wheeler - the same vehicle used by Freddie when the accident occurrred Credit: Alamy

14 The cricketer with Rachael Wools who he met in 2002 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground Credit: Men Syndication

It followed the 19-year-old taking a break from modelling agency Storm, which famously launched the careers of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.

Recalling her first interaction with Freddie, she told the Daily Mail in 2007: “He really wasn't my type physically, because I always go for dark men, but I thought he was the funniest guy I had ever met.

“He got hold of my mobile number and texted me a couple of times, and we met up for a drink. I was pretty much bowled over by his charm.”

The happy couple dated for three years before marrying in a lavish ceremony at the Pavilion Road Hotel in Knightsbridge in March 2005 - having welcomed first child Holly a year earlier.

They went on to have Corey in 2006, Rock in 2008 and Preston, aptly named after the Lancashire City where Freddie grew up, over the Christmas period in 2019.

Although Rachael and Freddie have been known to attend awards parties together and posed on the red carpet, she has rarely spoken about their private life.

You can understand why cricketers’ marriages break down. If the shoe was on the other foot, I might have just said, ‘You know what, sod this’ Freddie Flintoff

It’s often been the former cricketer who has given candid interviews revealing details about his mental health struggles.

During the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2015, he spoke about his depression diagnosis and his wife’s reaction to it.

Freddie, who retired from cricket in 2009, said: “I think in some ways she was quite relieved.

“I think it's because she saw me as vulnerable as well. I spent a lot of time putting up a barrier playing sport and you tend to play up to that character all of the time, and in the end it got exhausting. I couldn't do it any longer.”

'Competitive drinker'

It followed years of reckless boozing from the star, which he admitted started at the age of 17 when he became a “competitive drinker” after downing 10 pints of Guinness.

14 Freddie looking worse for wear after the 2005 Ashes victory Credit: PA:Press Association

14 The cricketer has been celebrating with teammates Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan Credit: PA:Press Association

14 Freddie later revealed he used alcohol to 'cover up' his depression Credit: Getty Images - Getty

“Drinking became another thing I had to be the best at,” he admitted.

His antics hit the headlines including after the team’s 2005 Ashes victory, when Freddie was pictured bleary-eyed with teammate Kevin Pieterson at a Downing Street reception.

Reflecting on his behaviour in his 2015 memoir Second Innings: My Sporting Life, Freddie wrote: “Looking back, I feel for the missus. She used to get the worst of me.

“She didn’t come out and celebrate when we won - that was with the lads - and I’d rock in at five in the morning, stinking and falling over.

“When we lost she’d see me drowning my sorrows in the corner. And then your career is all over.”

Freddie admitted it was only after retiring in 2010 that he realised he was “actually selfish as a person” and was lucky his wife stuck by him.

Inside Freddie Flintoff's horror crash BY his own admission, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff insists he 'should not be here' today after the crash in 2022. The cricketer-turned-TV star, 46, was filming Top Gear when the open-top, three-wheel vehicle he was driving flipped and skidded along the track at Dunsfold Aerodrome. After the crash, which involved a £43,000 Morgan Super 3, Freddie was airlifted to hospital and it was feared he may not survive. His son Corey said at the time: "It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he's going to be ok." Freddie and a crew member, who were both wearing helmets, suffered several broken ribs and Freddie sustained facial injuries. The TV star has reportedly signed a £9million settlement with the BBC - which will not be taken from licence payer fees - and is believed to have undergone multiple surgeries. In April 2023, Freddie was pictured for the first time after the accident and notably hid his injuries beneath sunglasses. Five months later, the full extent of the facial injuries were revealed when he was seen watching England's cricket team play New Zealand in their opening one-day international. Now the star reveals he has suffered nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety since the accident in his new documentary Freddie Flintoff's Field Of Dreams: On Tour. When asked if he felt better during the documentary, he replied: "Not really, I’m not sure I ever will again to be honest. I’m better than I was. “I don’t know what completely better is. I am what I am now, I’m different to what I was, that’s something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better, no, different.”

“It was two different worlds. My world — cricket, the dressing room and the lads. And then family. Even when they travelled with me, it wasn’t always easy to bridge the gap. Plus, I craved my own space.

“You can understand why cricketers’ marriages break down. If the shoe was on the other foot, I might have just said, ‘You know what, sod this.’”

Bulimia battle

Throughout this, Rachael stuck by his side, with him admitting he had been “incredibly lucky” to find someone so supportive and understanding.

He wrote: “I couldn’t have done all the things I’ve done without her. She has helped me get over so many problems.”

Freddie has since quit drinking after identifying that his dependence was due to wanting to “cover up” how he felt and worsened his stints of depression.

He wrote in his 2021 memoir The Book Of Fred: "I was boozing to try to change the way I felt and that’s when it became a problem.

14 Freddie admits his wife 'used to get the worst of me' during his boozing years Credit: AFP

14 He opened up about his battle with depression when he appeared on Australia's I'm A Celebrity Credit: Facebook/@imacelebrityau

14 The sportsman turned his back on booze and now lives a healthier lifestyle Credit: Instagram/@aflintoff11

“If I latched on, I would get into drinking, and not just for one session. It would go on for weeks and that couldn’t continue.”

The cricketer bravely opened up about his lifelong battle with bulimia in his 2020 BBC1 documentary Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia.

It began when the 6ft 4in star’s weight spiralled to 19stone and after reading hurtful comments about his appearance online, he would make himself sick as a way to take control.

Freddie recalled: "I became known as a fat cricketer. That was horrible. That was when I started doing it. That was when I started being sick after meals. Then things started happening for me as a player."

Despite dropping to less than 15st 7lb, it failed to make Freddie happy. He described it as “an anti-climax”.

He has spent many years working to overcome the eating disorder to avoid “becoming another statistic” - knowing he was at risk of dying.

Horror crash

More recently Freddie has spoken of the emotional impact of the Top Gear horror crash in which he almost died on Decembe 13, 2022.

He was driving a £43,000 open-topped Morgan Super 3 three-wheel car when it flipped and skidded along the track at Dunsfold Aerodrome.

I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say ‘everything's all right’, but it's not been the case Freddie

After the car flipped, Rachael raced to hospital where doctors told her to “expect the worst”. Fortunately, he pulled through but has been left with ‘nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety’.

In the nearly two years that have followed, Freddie has been unable to work and barely left the house. He is believed to have reached a £9million settlement with the BBC.

The crash happened three months before he and his young cricket team were due to go on tour in India for series two of Field of Dreams.

Seven months after the smash he was visited by fellow cricket coach and close friend Kyle Hogg.

Freddie told him: “I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say ‘everything's all right’, but it's not been the case.

“It's been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I've just not been able to.”

Having had a number of operations to repair the damage to his face he admitted he barely left the house in the seven months that followed, and when he did, he wore a full-face mask and glasses.

Filming for Field of Dreams finally resumed 13 months after the smash and viewers will see Freddie’s own film of the damage to his face one week after the smash as well as the mental turmoil that led up to his decision to continue the series.

He says: “I'm thinking if I don't do something, I'm never going to do nowt. I've got to get on with it.

14 Freddie's accident led to the TV series Top Gear finishing for good Credit: PA

14 Tonight on Field Of Dreams, Freddie reveals his anguish after the horror 2022 crash Credit: PA

“Got to look on the positive. I'm still here. I've got another chance and I've got a go at it. I am seeing that as how it is - a second go.

“I'm looking forward to seeing the lads…this India trip is going to be for me as much as them now. I'm determined. I really want to go.”

Speaking at the launch of the show, Freddie hinted at a brighter future, saying: “I learned a bit about coaching. Ultimately you’re coaching people, you’re not coaching players.

“That's something I'll take away in my career, whatever that leads to next. I suppose I found a confidence in India that had been lacking in recent times.

“I'd love to do more coaching. I don't know in what entity. I'm quite open-minded about it all, then a little bit of TV as well. This has been the perfect introduction back into coaching.”

Whatever the future holds, there's no doubt the love of his loyal wife and kids will remain the bedrock of his life.

Series two of Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams airs at 9pm tonight on BBC One.

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