Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Rachel Flintoff, the wife of Freddie Flintoff, has shared that she prepared their children for Freddie's altered appearance prior to them seeing him following his harrowing accident. After hearing about her husband's mishap on the Top Gear track at Dunsfold in 2022, a concerned Rachel hastened to the hospital. She remembers the moment distinctly, recounting: "I got a phone call. Andy's been in an accident, in Top Gear, but we don't have much information. I think they might take him to the nearest hospital, but it sounds like it's just his teeth or something. I think everything's fine. I put the phone down, and I didn't think much of it to begin with. It just kind of escalated very quick." Rachel added: "I wasn't getting any information. I didn't know how he was injured, and I just started just grabbing all my stuff, and just thought 'I'm just gonna head to London, and then hopefully someone will tell me where he is'." The documentary further reveals accounts from a medical professional who attended to Freddie, noting that he sustained "a mixture of hard tissue and soft tissue injuries, broken teeth, lost teeth and elements of the upper jaw bone that were also fractured and displaced". Subsequently, Freddie underwent a preliminary five-hour surgery focused on reconstructing his face. (Image: GC Images) Rachel, with evident emotion in her voice, recounted the harrowing moment she saw her husband after his accident: "When I did see him, I walked in the room, and he was just in the bed, and he was bandaged up. Like his eyes, I've never seen someone so scared in their eyes. And he just stared at me, and I just think he was looking at me to know how bad he was.", reports the Mirror. She continued, explaining her reaction: "So to be fair, I totally pulled myself together, and I just didn't cry. I didn't, I just said, 'it's fine. You're gonna be okay. I can't believe how amazing you look'." Rachel also described the difficult conversation she had with their children: "Before we got home, I did, I did call the kids, and I did say to them, 'you've just got to be as strong as you've ever been. Your dad does look different at the moment. It's gonna get better, but I don't want you to look shocked and horrified, because that's gonna knock him'. (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images) "And that was hard, but Andy doesn't know I've ever done that. I was so grateful to all those people, I still had a husband, the kids still had their dad," she added, expressing her gratitude for the support they received. In the Disney+ documentary, Rachel also shared memories of meeting Freddie before his rise to fame. They first crossed paths in 2002, tied the knot in 2005, and now share four children. Reflecting on their initial encounter, Rachel said: "He introduced himself as Andrew, and I've always called him Andrew. We started talking, and then we didn't stop talking. He was funny. I know he made me laugh, and I think the more I was talking to him, the more I was like, 'Oh, you're really lovely'." (Image: Tom Shaw/Getty Images) She admitted to not knowing about his cricket career at first: "I didn't actually know who Andy was at the time, not in a bad way. But I can't put my finger on it, there was just something about him that was different." Rachel revealed that Flintoff initially reacted poorly to her insights, interpreting her comments about his potential as an implication that she attempted to alter him. Rachel also shared her concerns about Andrew's drinking issues during his cricketing days and the personal struggles he endured, both while playing and following the life-altering accident. In a more hopeful turn, Rachel highlights that Andrew's return to the cricket world, this time as a coach, has brought a profound change in his perspective and overall demeanour. The documentary concludes with Rachel observing: "It's like back where he belongs, for a girl who knew nothing about cricket, or very little about cricket, it's definitely become a big part of my life, and when Andrew needed it most, cricket was there for him. "I mean, it sounds a bit weird saying a bit over the top to say, but I do think cricket saved him. It gave him a reason for being again."