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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Alan Johnson

Andrew Flintoff's Top Gear future in doubt as friends fear he's unlikely to return after crash

Friends fear Top Gear's Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff may never return to the BBC One show following his high-speed crash last month. The 45-year old presenter was airlifted to hospital on December 13 after a collision at Surrey's Dunsfold Aerodrome.

Although the former England cricket star escaped serious injury and is believed to recovering well physically, the Daily Mail reports that sources say he has been left 'psychologically traumatised' by the incident and could quit the programme for good.

The BBC has suspended filming, meanwhile, while it investigates the circumstances surrounding Flintoff's accident. Temperatures had plunged to 0C on the test track, where the star was reviewing a car at the time.

The broadcaster says the report will take up to two weeks, but insists all 'health and safety procedures were followed' at the time. Government agency the Health and Safety Executive has already conducted its own review, meanwhile, and said it found no evidence of any serious failings.

A spokesman for the agency confirmed this week: "We've completed our initial inquires into this incident and will not be investigating further."

Flintoff's 16-year old son Corey previously reported that his dad had suffered a broken rib and cut face in the crash. He told MailOnline: "He's OK. I'm not too sure what happened but he is lucky to be alive.

"It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he's going to be OK."

The incident comes three years after Flintoff cheated death in a 125mph crash during a race with his co-presenters. After emerging relatively unscathed, however, he said at the time: "I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but, on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far. It will look more ridiculous than dangerous when you see it on TV."

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