Former England cricket captain Freddie Flintoff has shared a harrowing account of his near-fatal accident during the filming of Top Gear in December 2022, in a new documentary titled 'Flintoff' on Disney+. The documentary, set to premiere this Friday, offers an intimate look into Flintoff's physical and emotional recovery following the crash that left him with severe facial injuries and broken ribs. Flintoff describes the accident in vivid detail, recounting the moment the car he was driving flipped and dragged him face down across the tarmac for 50 metres.

In the documentary, Flintoff reveals the profound impact the accident had on his mental health, admitting to moments where he wished he had died. 'After the accident, I didn't think I had it in me to get through. Part of me wishes I'd been killed,' Flintoff confesses. Despite these dark thoughts, Flintoff clarifies that he was not suicidal but rather grappling with the ease death might have brought compared to the challenges of recovery. His story is one of resilience, as he gradually finds solace in the small joys of life, such as the unconditional love of his children.

The documentary also touches on Flintoff's strained relationships with his former Top Gear co-hosts, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, following the accident. McGuinness, however, has since expressed his enduring affection for Flintoff, reminiscing about their time working together on the show. 'I love Fred. He's a good lad,' McGuinness stated, highlighting the strong bond they shared despite the aftermath of the crash.

As Flintoff continues to navigate his recovery, the documentary serves as a testament to his strength and determination to rebuild his life. From returning to his sporting roots to making a television comeback, Flintoff's journey is a powerful narrative of overcoming adversity. The documentary not only sheds light on the personal toll of the accident but also celebrates Flintoff's indomitable spirit as he looks toward the future with hope and optimism.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced an urgent independent inquiry into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, describing himself as "shocked" by families' experiences of "repeated maternity failures in Leeds - made worse by the unacceptable response of the trust." The decision comes after years of campaigning by bereaved families who reported feeling "gaslit, dismissed and even blamed" for what went wrong at one of Europe's largest teaching hospitals. Mr. Streeting emphasized the "stark contradiction between scale and safety standards" at the trust, which official data shows "remains an outlier on perinatal mortality."

The inquiry follows a June downgrade by the Care Quality Commission, which rated maternity services at the trust as "inadequate" and identified serious risks to women and babies. Inspectors highlighted a deep-rooted "blame culture" that made staff reluctant to raise concerns about incidents. Brendan Brown, chief executive of LTH NHS Trust, apologized to bereaved families and expressed hope that the inquiry would provide them with "answers." He stated the trust is "determined to do better" and is already taking significant steps to improve maternity and neonatal services following reviews by regulatory bodies.

Families affected by the failures have welcomed the inquiry but are calling for rigorous leadership, specifically requesting that midwife Donna Ockenden chair the investigation. Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose daughter Aliona died in 2020 after an inquest found multiple failures, emphasized the importance of ensuring the inquiry is "the best and most thorough that it can possibly be." She described how families have been "thrust into this life that none of us should be living," noting that their shared grief should never have brought them together under such circumstances.

Serious questions are now being raised about what Sir Julian Hartley, who led the trust for ten years until 2023 and now heads the Care Quality Commission, knew about the poor maternity care. In a statement, Sir Julian expressed being "truly sorry" for families' suffering and said that while he was "absolutely committed to ensuring good patient care across all services, including maternity," this commitment "wasn't enough to prevent some families suffering pain and loss." Lauren Caulfield, whose daughter Grace died in 2022, called it "completely unacceptable that nothing has been done to date" to examine Sir Julian's role, expressing hope that the inquiry will address this gap.