Andrew Flintoff, the former England and Lancashire all-rounder, has revealed he suffered from depression during the 2006-07 Ashes whitewash in Australia, and that he was drinking too much during the 2007 World Cup.
Speaking in an upcoming BBC1 documentary, Freddie Flintoff, Hidden Side of Sport, he admits: "I was having a quiet drink with my dad Colin on Christmas Eve 2006 and as we made our way home I started crying my eyes out. I told him I'd tried my best but that I couldn't do it any more, I couldn't keep playing. We talked and, of course, I dusted myself down and carried on. But I was never the same player again.
"I was captain of England and financially successful. Yet instead of walking out confidently to face Australia in one of the world's biggest sporting events, I didn't want to get out of bed, never mind face people."
Talking about the 2007 World Cup, during which time he was stripped of the captaincy following the infamous pedalo incident, Flintoff added: "The whole time I was on the field and throughout that World Cup all I could think about was that I wanted to retire. I didn't understand what was happening to me. I knew when I got back to my room I couldn't shut off, which is why I started having a drink. It got to the stage where I was probably drinking more than I should.
"All I wanted was for the doctor to tell me what was wrong but no one suggested it was depression. There's a certain sense of shame when I remember sitting in the dressing room after winning a one-day international in the West Indies. The lads were celebrating and I didn't want to be a part of it, I didn't want to do anything but sit on my own in the corner."
Freddie Flintoff, Hidden Side of Sport is on BBC1 on 11 January
