ONCE the poster boy for drinking and debauchery, England cricketing legend Freddie Flintoff has long put his boozing days behind him to become the ultimate family man.
And since retiring from cricket in 2009, the dad-of-four has forged a successful career in telly, presenting top TV shows, including Top Gear.
The sportsman, who played 79 Tests for England, has won plaudits for his bravery in speaking about the effect his life-changing injuries have had on him following his near-fatal crash in his new BBC documentary series Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams: On Tour.
Freddie, 46, revealed in the first episode of the series, which continues tonight, he has been left battling anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks, with viewers praising his bravery and hailing him an “inspiration”.
The former Top Gear presenter has been supported through his recovery by his wife, former model and entrepreneur Rachael Wools, 43, and their four children – Holly, 19, Corey, 18, Rocky, 16, and four-year-old Preston.
The family of six live in Hale, Greater Manchester in a £5.25 million mansion. And while his children are clearly a huge part of the sporting legend’s world, he doesn’t often talk about his home life.
However, he regularly shares sweet snaps of him and his kids, either at work or on days out, with his 990,000 Instagram followers.
Posting a picture of him with his three eldest children in 2018, Freddie captioned it: “So lucky, happy Father’s Day.”
The former England captain quit school at the age of 16 to focus on cricket and played in the England under-19 cricket team for two and a half years, rising through the ranks to captain before becoming a talented international player.
Freddie met Rachael, who was formerly signed to the Storm Models agency, in 2002 at the Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham while at an event to promote her events company, Strawberry Promotions.
They tied the knot in 2005 at the Pavilion Road Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, a year after eldest child Holly was born.
The same year Freddie won the Ashes – and he believes that becoming a dad made him a better sportsman.
Speaking on the First Time Dads podcast in 2017, he said: “My career at the time, I started doing really well.
“Everyone said that couldn’t happen but it put everything into perspective. I actually got better.”
At the end of the day, you’re just trying to hit a ball or throw one, but then you’ve got someone whose life you’re responsible for, and it’s a far greater thing.
Freddie Flintoff
He added: “You start thinking, ‘You know what? I’m dressed in whites, we’re chucking a ball around and trying to hit it.’”
He added: “Although it WAS the most important thing, it now isn’t. It frees you up, especially with batting. I started scoring a lot of runs because I wasn’t bothered about getting out.
“If you get out, there are worse things happen. I’m still going home to the family.
“You deal with disappointments better too. Irrespective of winning, losing, performing or not, when you go home, they’re not bothered. It doesn’t matter.”
Speaking in a 2019 interview, he said having kids had given his cricketing career “perspective.”
He said: “At the end of the day, you’re just trying to hit a ball or throw one, but then you’ve got someone whose life you’re responsible for, and it’s a far greater thing.
“But I still have my moments where I look at them and think, ‘How’s this happened?’ I’m nearly 42 but I feel like I’m their age, and I’ve got to remind myself I’m a dad.”
Despite the responsibilities of becoming a dad, the cricketer was still as famous for his antics off the cricket pitch.
Recounting one of his drinking benders after celebrating England’s 2005 Ashes win, the cricket legend said a security guard found him boozing in the-then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s chair at No.10 Downing Street.
Speaking on the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015, Freddie said: “We had a function in the garden. I went in the house looking for a toilet but then started wandering around the house. I found the Cabinet room, where all the meetings are.
I was sat in the Prime Minister’s chair with my feet on the table, slurping beer and holding a meeting. The security guard came in and said: ‘Alright Freddie, you’ve had your fun, now f*** off’.
Freddie Flintoff
“So I had a bottle of beer in my hand and I was sat in the Prime Minister’s chair with my feet on the table, slurping beer and holding a meeting.
“The security guard came in and said: ‘Alright Freddie, you’ve had your fun, now f*** off’.
“I didn’t find the toilet, I actually p***ed in the garden.”
Freddie’s cricketing career often meant he spent long stints away from his family, with wife Rachael revealing in 2007 daughter Holly missed him when he was away.
She explained: “Holly is a complete daddy’s girl, and when Andrew’s around, I never get a look-in.
“She misses him when he’s away, but she makes up for it by carrying around a photograph of him – when she has a tea party for her dolls, she puts the picture on a chair, so Daddy can be there too.”
And Freddie – who has battled depression and bulimia and later quit drinking – has admitted he struggled being away from his young family, relishing doing “trivial stuff” when at home.
He said in a 2019 interview: “When I’m at home, that’s the best part of my day. The best thing I do. And it’s not even the big things, it’s the trivial stuff.
“Taking them to the bus stop, watching them at school, or going to pick them up. Just spending time with them whenever I can. I do as much as I can when I’m at home, and I want to. It’s not a chore – although it has its moments.”
The sportsman – who retired from cricket in 2009 – added: “I want to be around for as much of that as I can. But with the nature of the job, I can’t always be. When I go away I’m on my own and I’m thinking about them, but they just get on with their lives, and when I come home I say, ‘I’m back!’ and they just say, ‘Oh, alright dad’.
“But it could be worse, if I was still playing cricket. One of the best things about retiring young, at 31, was that as much as I missed playing, I didn’t have to go away for three months at a time.”
And speaking about his parenting style, he said: “I can be strict – if things annoy me, they find out. But they’re good kids, to be fair. You just want your children to be respectful, which they are.”
After their son Rocky was born, Freddie was convinced that he and Rachael wouldn’t have any more children.
Speaking in 2016, he said: “’We thought about it. I originally wanted five but you have three and that felt like enough. I couldn’t go back to the nappy stage now.”
However, in April 2020, the couple revealed that they secretly welcomed fourth child Preston over Christmas 2019.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Freddie said: “Little Preston was born at Christmas – it is the first time I’ve actually spoken about it.”
He continued: “But yeah, we have got another baby and it has been nice spending time with him.”
Preston is named in tribute to the Lancashire city that Freddie grew up in and also features in the current TV show.
Freddie’s parents, Colin and Susan, still live in Preston and, speaking in 2021, he said: “I think for me, if I can be as good a dad as my dad is, that would be my greatest achievement.”
Both of his eldest boys have followed in their dad’s sporting footsteps, having been in the Lancashire academy from a young age.
Corey was playing for England at 18 while Rocky is the youngest player to score a century for the England Under-19s team.
If they want to go into sport, that’s OK. I’m not bothered, to be honest. I was lucky to find something I loved, and fortunately I did it as a job. I just want them to find something they love, whether it’s sport or whatever. I just want them to be happy.
Freddie Flintoff
Rocky is also the youngest player to have scored a Second XI Championship century for Lancashire at the age of 16 years and 16 days – beating the previous record of 16 years and 266 days held by his dad.
Many cricket fans have also noticed Rocky has mannerisms and shots that are reminiscent of his famous dad.
However, Freddie admitted in 2019 that he was “not bothered” if they chose not to go into sport.
Asked if his children play cricket, he said: “The boys play it, they’re alright at it. If they want to go into sport, that’s OK. I’m not bothered, to be honest.
“I was lucky to find something I loved, and fortunately I did it as a job. I just want them to find something they love, whether it’s sport or whatever. I just want them to be happy. I’ll try and help them as much as I can and guide them, but ultimately, it’s their decision.”
As well as being a successful TV presenter and pundit, Freddie has also modelled his own collection for the fashion brand Jacamo.
Speaking about what his children make of his varied career, he said in 2019: “I think they wonder what I do sometimes – one minute I’m on Top Gear and then they see pictures of me modelling clothes.
“They take it with a pinch of salt – it’s just what their dad does.”
Following his horror crash while filming Top Gear at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, in December 2022, Freddie’s wife and children were inundated with messages of support.
Corey gave a heartbreaking reaction to the news, saying his dad was lucky to be alive.
The teen said his mum had raced to be beside his dad’s bedside as soon as the family heard the news.
Corey 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.”
During his recovery, Freddie, who nearly died in the 130mph accident and had significant injuries to his face, has remained out of the spotlight until now, as his BBC show returns for a second series.
Filming seven months after the accident, Freddie shared on screen that he had not really left the house, other than for hospital appointments.
He said: “I am struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks, it has been so hard to cope with.”
And no doubt his loyal family have been by his side to support him all the way.
Episode 2 of Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams: On Tour airs tonight on BBC1
