Andrew Flintoff ignored celebrity pal Piers Morgan for eight months following his horrifying Top Gear crash.

The England cricket legend has kept a low profile since he was taken to hospital after being seriously injured while filming for the motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December. Earlier this month, he was pictured in an England coaching kit on the home balcony at the opening one-day international against New Zealand in Cardiff, but sported large cuts or scars on his face and surgical tape on his nose.

It is believed to be the first time Flintoff has been photographed in public since the accident. His son Corey said at the time he was “lucky to be alive” and described it as a “pretty nasty crash”.

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Filming for series 34 of Top Gear was halted and it has been reported the daredevil presenter intends to quit the hit programme. Flintoff is said to have been seriously emotionally and physically affected by the incident.

Prior to the crash, ‘Freddie’ regularly mixed with stars from the world of media and showbiz, including Morgan. However, his injuries prompted the 45-year-old to go into his shell, with even friends being shut out of his life for a period. Writing in The Sun, Morgan revealed how his messages had gone unanswered for months until a recent 54-word reply from the former all-rounder.

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“For eight months, I’d sent my old mate Freddie Flintoff regular WhatsApp entreaties asking how he was getting on since the horrific car smash that he suffered while filming his hit BBC show Top Gear,” he said.

“And for eight months, there was no reply; just a constant, increasingly unsettling silence from a guy who I’ve known for 20 years, texted with very often, and who I consider a great friend. The longer the silence went on, the more worried I grew about what exactly had happened to him in an accident I knew he’d been lucky to survive.

“And my increasing anxiety wasn’t helped by the fact that even the people closest to him, like his wife Rachael, and members of his management team, weren’t saying a word about his condition either. I was simply told he was ‘periscope down’ which did nothing to allay my concerns.

“Many of Freddie’s former Ashes-winning teammates were also in the dark about how he was, also not getting replies to messages, and as desperate as me for some good news about the big man who holds such a special place in England sporting hearts.”

Flintoff made secret visits to the England during the Ashes before his public appearances during the one-day series against New Zealand.

And it was after these appearances during the recent series that Morgan again attempted to contact the former all-rounder.

Piers added: “I texted him, and Rachael [Flintoff’s wife], to say how happy the photos had made me, and to my amazement, Freddie replied. I won’t say what he wrote in his message because he’s said nothing publicly yet about what happened that fateful day last December, and it’s for him to choose what he wants to say when he decides to say it. But he sounded very positive, and said he was loving being back around the cricket world again.”

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