Andrew Flintoff says he felt ‘guilt’ after death of friend Ricky Hatton

Andrew Flintoff has expressed profound guilt following the death of his friend, Ricky Hatton. T

he former world welterweight champion, 46, was found hanged at his Hyde home on September 14, Stockport Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday.

Cricket star Flintoff revealed their bond, forged as both rose to prominence concurrently.

He recalled on Piers Morgan Uncensored, airing on YouTube, their last chance meeting on a Manchester-bound train.

“I think it’s like all these things, when something like that happens and you speak and everyone says, ‘he seemed fine’, ‘he seemed all right’, ‘he was looking forward to fighting in the next few weeks out in Dubai’.

“There’s almost a guilt… How people didn’t know? And the one thing I found in recent years, over the past few years, it’s happened to more and more people.

“With Graham Thorpe in cricket who (was an) absolute great man, someone who is thought of so dearly by everyone who he played with and everyone he’s coached. You just feel like, ‘if only we would have known’. But it’s terrible.”

Flintoff said he attended some of Hatton’s fights in the past and recalled other fun times they had spent together.

“We’ve sung karaoke together and I never knew all these things that he was struggling with until we sat down,” Flintoff added.

“When we started talking, obviously, he was so honest about what he had been going through and how he felt. And then, as he was talking, I was relating to it. I’ve felt like that, that’s what I’ve been like.

“Then it just turned into a chat between two blokes being really honest.

“(Ricky was) this working class hero from Manchester who goes into the ring, he fights, all heart. He’s funny, you see him like doing stand-up routines at press conferences, and he feels like this.

“And then obviously what’s happened over the past two weeks, it’s been devastating. For his friends, his family, but anyone who has been in contact with Ricky.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you