22 hours Ago By [email protected] (Danni King)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Freddie Flintoff, the cricket icon turned TV sensation, has been making waves on the small screen with his stints on Top Gear and captivating documentaries.
His latest venture, Flintoff, is set to grace Disney+ this April. The 47-year-old star, who's gearing up for a chat on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday (19 April), has skillfully balanced his public persona while keeping his private life discreet. Married to the stunning model Rachael Flintoff, Freddie, whose real name is Andrew, has enjoyed over two decades of marital bliss, sharing four children with his wife.
Their love story began in 2002 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, where Rachael promoted her business, Strawberry Promotions. Rachael reminisced about their first meeting in a 2007 Daily Mail interview: "He really wasn't my type physically because I always go for dark men, but I thought he was the funniest guy I had ever met." She recalled how Freddie charmed his way into her life: "He got hold of my mobile number and texted me a couple of times, and we met up for a drink.
I was pretty much bowled over by his charm." Their romance blossomed, leading to three years of dating before they exchanged vows at the Pavilion Road Hotel in Knightsbridge in 2005. Their first child, Holly, arrived just a year before their wedding.
In 2006, Freddie Flintoff and his wife Rachael were over the moon to welcome their son Corey into the world. Two years later, in 2008, they had Rocky, and a decade after that, Preston joined the family—a touching nod to Freddie’s childhood city—in 2019. Like his dad, Rocky, now 17, is making waves on the cricket scene, playing for Lancashire County Cricket Club, reports Lancs Live .
Freddie rarely gets personal about his home life, but he's shared heartfelt details about his relationship with Rachael. His candour was on full display in his 2015 memoir, Second Innings: My Sporting Life, where he reflected on how his battles with alcohol during the apex of his cricketing days impacted his family. Freddie expressed regret in his memoir: "Looking back, I feel for the missus.
She used to get the worst of me," he revealed. "She didn't come out and celebrate when we won - that was with the lads - and I'd rock in at five in the morning, stinking and falling over. When we lost she'd see me drowning my sorrows in the corner.
And then your career is all over." Since hanging up his cricket whites in 2010, Freddie has come to a poignant realisation. He confessed to being "actually selfish as a person" but acknowledges his good fortune in having Rachael by his side, crediting her for helping him through tough times, saying she’d assisted him to "get over so many problems".
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on ITV1 on Saturday at 10.20pm.
