Freddie Flintoff recalls all-night bender with Kasabian and Oasis that coincided with ending of Test cricket career
3 November 2021, 13:41 | Updated: 3 November 2021, 13:51
The former cricketer has looked back at his days boozing with celebrities, but insists he's happier now he's sober.
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Freddie Flintoff has recalled how a "wild" night out with members of Kasabian and Oasis coincided with the ending of his Test cricket career in 2009.
The former international cricketer - whose real name is Andrew Flintoff - is now sober, but has often talked about how his boozing negatively affected him and how he thinks it may have cut his career short.
Now, speaking to The Sun, the Top Gear star has looked back at the time surrounding he headed down to London for a medical appointment, but ended up going on an all-night bender in The Landmark hotel the day before.
He told the outlet: "The night was certainly wild, like something you would imagine in the early Seventies with the Rolling Stones.
"Everyone was hammered, the staff were trying to calm it down, guests were complaining. Looking back, part of me was celebrating a great Test match and part wanted to forget about my knee and let off steam."
After getting to bed at 6am, the now TV presenter remembers dragging himself to an appointment at 8am still drunk, while a doctor delivered him the devastating news that he needed an operation.
READ MORE: The 10 best Oasis B-sides
Flintoff - who is a dad to Holly, 17, Corey, 15, Rocky, 13, and one-year-old Preston - has just released The Book of Fred: The Most Outrageously Entertaining Book of the Year and says he's happy and healthy due to quitting drinking.
However, back when he was drinking, he admits that the main issue was trying to drink to change the way he felt about himself.
“When I was drinking, the problem lay in the cover-up." said Flintoff.
"I was boozing to try to change the way I felt and that’s when it became a problem. If I latched on, I would get into drinking, and not just for one session. It would go on for weeks and that couldn’t continue."
Now his addictions tend to be a lot healthier, swapping the booze for collecting Nike Air Jordans.
You probably won't catch him in a pair, however, as he's said if any of his prized trainers get dirty they will "ruin" his day.
The Book Of Fred, by Andrew Flintoff, (Blink Publishing), is out now.
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If you have been affected by any of the topics covered in this story, please use the helplines below:
Drinkaware
Drinkline
0300 123 1110 (Weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm)
Alcoholics Anonymous
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
0800 9177650
Al-Anon Family Groups
Adfam
We Are With You
https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
SMART Recovery
