Freddie Flintoff's Top Gear co-host Chris Harris has spoken out about his fellow presenter's horror crash almost one year on.
The cricketer-turned-TV presenter suffered broken ribs and facial injuries on the set of the BBC motoring show and only made a return to the public eye in September to reunite with the England cricket team.
In the months that have followed the crash, Flintoff has reached a financial settlement with the BBC for the incident while reports the show has been axed have been rife ever since.
Ahead of the release of his new book, Variable Valve Timings: Memoirs of a car tragic, Harris returned to screens to discuss his time on the show after being one of the first hosts to take over from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
When asked how Flintoff is nowadays, Harris said: "I think he's healing, you know.
"It was a serious incident, I'm not going to say more than that.
Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and Freddie Flintoff were the latest Top Gear hosts
PA
"As I've said in the book and in a few interviews I've given, I'm so proud of the fact that 'Team Top Gear' kept everything quiet and we were dignified.
"There was nothing out there about what happened (and) there won't be, there's no mole in the organisation.
"I'm really proud of that so I hope you understand - as long as he's healing, it's great to see him out and about and being passionate about doing cricket.
"I'm sad I'm not doing Top Gear at the moment but that's life. It's the best thing for him right now," Harris continued.
The motoring enthusiast was probed further about what impact the fallout of the crash also had on him, to which he replied: "I suddenly had nothing to do.
"I have got another business... but my day job went. And you imagine, the muscle memory of working life is really important.
"If that suddenly stops - I had eight or seven years of it - if suddenly you don't talk to those people, you don't see those people, then you go into a slightly dark place I think. I really missed it," he said.
Harris is currently no longer filming new episodes of Top Gear amid reports the show has been shelved, although a spokesperson for the BBC said back in October: "A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content."
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Chris Harris shares Freddie Flintoff update almost one year on from horror crash
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While Harris admitted during his BBC Breakfast interview that he was "proud" the crew at Top Gear kept the details of the incident under wraps, it's something the BBC has come under fire for from critics - including previous Top Gear stars.
Former Stig star Perry McCarthy slammed the Beeb for allowing conjecture to build about the crash rather being forthright with the facts during an interview on GB News.
Another former star, Steve Berry, also took aim at the Beeb during an interview with the People's Channel as he hit out at the dangerous stunts and said the show was "asking a cricketer to do things that really should be done by people who know what they’re doing".
As he continues on his road to recovery, Flintoff has reportedly already lined up his TV return in 2024 after teaming back up with the corporation.
