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Freddie Flintoff reveals special meaning behind son's name

The former cricketer welcomed a son at Christmas


freddie flintoff wife© Photo: Getty Images
Jenni McKnight
US Lifestyle Editor
August 8, 2020
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Freddie Flintoff surprised his fans earlier this year after revealing he and wife Rachael Wools secretly welcomed a fourth child at Christmas.

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The former cricketer and Rachael, 39 - who have been married for almost 15 years – have another son, who they adorably named Preston in tribute to the Lancashire city that Freddie grew up in.

Sharing the news on talkSPORT back in April, the 42-year-old said: "Little Preston was born at Christmas - it is the first time I've actually spoken about it. But yeah, we have got another baby and it has been nice spending time with him." Freddie - who also has kids Holly, 15, Corey, 14, and Rocky, 12 - first announced his wife's pregnancy in October after Rachael revealed her bump at the Attitude Awards.

freddie flintoff wife© Photo: Getty Images

Freddie Flintoff and wife Rachael welcomed a son in December

The couple's newborn may have come as a welcomed surprise after the Top Gear host previously admitted that he didn't think he and Rachael would have any more children after the arrival of their youngest son Rocky. In 2016 he told The Sun: "We thought about it. I originally wanted five but you have three and that felt like enough. I couldn’t go back to the nappy stage now." Three years later and Freddie is well and truly back at the "nappy stage" with his eight-month-old.

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Freddie even credited becoming a father for helping him to become a better cricketer. Just one year after his daughter Holly was born in 2004, Freddie made history with the epic 2005 Ashes victory over Australia. "My career at the time, I started doing really well," he told the First Time Dads podcast. "Everyone said that couldn't happen, but it put everything into perspective. I actually got better."

He added: "You start thinking, 'You know what? I'm dressed in whites, we're chucking a ball around and trying to hit it.' Although it WAS the most important thing, it now isn't. It frees you up, especially with batting. I started scoring a lot of runs because I wasn't bothered about getting out."

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