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Freddie Flintoff may ‘never return’ to Top Gear following horror crash

Sources close to the presenter feel he may be "psychologically traumatised".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd January 2023

Andrew Flintoff may “never return” to Top Gear after being hospitalised following an accident during filming, reports suggest.

Sources close to the former Lancashire and England cricketer, turned popular TV personality and presenter – who is more commonly known as ‘Freddie’ – have suggested that he may quit the BBC series “for good” after a horror crash at the end of last year has apparently left him “psychologically traumatised”.

His friends revealed to The Times that the 42-year-old was making a good recovery physically following the crash, but that the psychological impact was less clear at this time.

Flintoff was filming at Top Gear’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey back in mid December 2022 when he was involved in an accident and sustained injuries that required him to be airlifted to hospital for treatment.

His injuries were not said to be life-threatening, and a BBC spokesperson said at the time that further details would be confirmed “in due course”.

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It was confirmed that the accident did not happen at high speed.

Andrew Flintoff was taken to hospital after being involved in accident while filming Top Gear / Credit: BBC

The BBC explained in a statement at the time of the accident: “Freddie was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track this morning, with crew medics attending the scene immediately [and] he has been taken to hospital for further treatment.

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“We will confirm more details in due course.”

This is not the first time Flintoff has been involved in an accident since he began presenting the long-running BBC factual entertainment programme back in 2019 alongside co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

He also crashed into a market stall in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire in February 2019, and then, in September of the same year, he crashed yet again during a drag race while he was filming at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire – but he walked away from the latter unharmed.

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He began presenting the long-running BBC factual entertainment programme back in 2019 / Credit: BBC

Top Gear fans will probably also remember that former host Richard Hammond was notably involved in a serious crash at the same airfield in 2006, which left him in a coma.

Since retiring from international cricket back in 2010, Flintoff had one professional bout as a boxer, before venturing into TV where he became a team captain on Sky’s A League of Their Own, and was also a contestant on the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, going on to be he crowned king of the jungle.

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He has also taken to acting – appearing in BBC drama Love, Lies and Records in 2017 – and singing in Fat Friends The Musical too.

Featured Image – BBC

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Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into foul-mouthed chaos

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tommy vs Darren Till press conference scrap chaos

The first press conference ahead of Tommy Fury vs Darren Till was held on Tuesday evening and it didn’t take long for the whole thing to descend into absolute bedlam.

Having only been confirmed on Sunday, Fury vs Till will be a homecoming bout for the Wythenshawe-born fighter who is set to headline the first-ever boxing match at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.

With the date set for 18 January, the pre-fight build-up and media frenzy are growing fast and things have already come to ahead in just the first meeting between the two fighters in London this week.

Clearly sharing plenty of bad blood already, while Tommy and Till were engaging in the usual fighting talk, the family patriarch, John Fury, decided to interject and it was at this point that things boiled over.

As you can see, amidst the various insults being thrown around regarding intelligence, boxing ability, Tommy’s older brother Tyson being “battered by [Oleksandr] Usyk”, ‘Big John’ then launches a bottle of water across the table at Till, sparking a hot-tempered on-stage skirmish.

The lengthy exchange features as many expletives as you could imagine, with 31-year-old Darren Till also threatening that he will “bladder” both Tommy and his more established heavyweight sibling Tyson, labelling the entire Fury family “shithouses” as they walk out of the London press conference.

A mixed martial artist by trade who has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, Till assured that even if the boxing match isn’t going his way on the night, he will kick [him] square in [the] face”, adding that he’s a “proper fighter” and that Tommy, on the other hand, has no power.

YouTube turned musician and occasional boxer, KSI – the founder of the Misfits promotion who is putting on the event and who Fury beat back in October last year – can also be heard whooping from centre stage and shouting, “Get your tickets!”

Even after the mini-brawl is separated, the foul-mouthed back and forth continues for some time. You can see another angle here:

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This isn’t the first time things have boiled over at a Fury press conference; in fact, it’s not even the first time John Fury, 59, has found himself in the very eye of the storm.

It was only back in May of this year, before his elder son’s title fight against Usyk, that he drew blood after headbutting a member of the Ukrainian’s entourage in another volatile presser.

Meanwhile, the youngest Fury son is preparing first his first fight in over a year, having nearly joined this year’s I’m a Celeb lineup instead.

Tickets for the now highly-anticipated boxing match at Co-op Live, just the second combat sports event to have been held at the arena, are on sale now – you can grab yours HERE. It’s going to be a feisty one.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — DAZN (via Screenshot)

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Festive Grinch-themed cafes to pop up inside Greater Manchester Primark stores

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Festive Grinch-themed cafes are popping up inside two of Primark’s biggest Greater Manchester stores in the run-up to Christmas.

As the temperatures turn colder by the day, the nights draw in, and the most wonderful time of the year nears closer and closer, it won’t be long before it’s time to snuggle up in our comfies and pop on the first Christmas film of the year – and for some of us, there’s a good chance that first film of choice will be The Grinch.

Whether you prefer the 2000 fantasy comedy starring Jim Carey, or the 2018 animated reboot with Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s undoubtedly a real family favourite.

To celebrate everyone’s favourite grumpy green grouch, Primark has teamed up with Dr. Seuss once again on a Grinch-tastic collaboration.

Festive Grinch-themed cafes have popped up inside Greater Manchester Primark stores / Credit: Supplied

Shoppers can now head to their nearest Primark store to find the largest-ever Grinch collection, with something for the whole family, as well as great gifting options said to be “ideal for getting into the anti-Christmas spirit”.

There’s Grinch pyjamas and slippers for both adults and kids, a Grinch ‘Onesie’ that’s sure to make people green with envy, Grinch drinks cups and mugs, a selection of loungewear and Christmas jumpers for festive dressing, and so much more, as well as whole host of Grinch-inspired outfits and toys for your four-legged friends too.

As part of Primark’s aim to offer affordable choices for everyone, prices for the Grinch collection start at just £1 for accessories, and go up to £24 for adult clothing.

If the return of the Grinch collection wasn’t exciting enough as it is, the all-new Grinch cafes – which are popping up in Primark on Market Street in Manchester city centre, as well as Primark in Trafford Palazzo – are bound to be hit with fans of the furry character.

There’s everything from green waffles and themed milkshakes, to festive toasties, hot drinks, and more on the menu.

With Greater Manchester Grinch cafes set to be open until the end of December, Sarah Jackson – who is the Director of Licensing at Primark, said: “We’re so excited to roll out our amazing cafe experience across a number of our UK locations, bringing a sprinkle of mischief to our customers this festive season.

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“Whether you’re stopping in for a sweet treat or stocking up on pyjamas and gifts for the whole family, we have everything you need to make it a truly unforgettable Grinch-mas.”

Featured Image – Supplied

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