You're never prepared for the end of a career.
— Andrew Flintoff
I wish I'd walked out of 'The Tourist' with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. I said to the missus after two minutes, 'He's her husband.' An hour and a half's worth of nonsense later, the big twist at the end is... he's her husband.
I can remember all the bad games and rubbish shots I've played far more than all my successes. Luckily, as I've got older, I've got better at dealing with that. What's the point of regrets? They don't change anything.
I have been called a man of many talents, but I like to keep a few of those talents hidden.
The thing with sledging is it very rarely goes well. Usually, if I was sledging, I was struggling.
They're strange, the Aussies. Because if they like you, they say, 'Oh, he's an Aussie.' And I keep saying, 'I'm not, I'm from Preston.' There's nothing Australian about me. Don't start claiming me just because I've got a job over here.
Now, I have a confession to make. I hate warm-ups with a passion. Worst part of the whole day. Nonsense, they are.
Ambition is a funny thing. In cricket, as in many professions, it tends to take you on a journey away from where you started. That's fine, maybe inevitable. But no one ever tells you that the biggest days aren't always the best days. And the richest prizes aren't the ones you remember.
In my early England days, there was a bit of tension with captain Nasser Hussain.
When I retired first time around, injury had beaten me, and I hated that. Now I realise I'm no longer good enough. And I can handle that. It's fine that I'm not good enough.
It annoys me when I phone a hotel receptionist in my own country, and they don't understand what I am saying because they don't speak English. I think that's wrong. It's nothing to do with being politically correct or incorrect; it's just not right.
I would try monoskiing, but the problem is my dodgy knee's on my right side, and my bad ankle's on my left, so I can't really use either.
When you get offered the captaincy, you've got to have a go. In India, where it went well, I was playing well ,and anything that needed doing, I'd do it myself. When I wasn't playing well, it was tough.
I worked behind the record counter at Woolworths when I was 16. It was when Oasis' 'Definitely Maybe' came out and The Verve were getting big. I'd have probably worked my way up to store manager if I'd have stuck around.
I don't suck up to anyone or do any of that. I point-blank refuse. I just hate it.
I've thrived on people writing me off. Because if you write me off, I'll shut you up.
Success isn't about things we acquire.
With the cricket, I knew what I was doing - to a degree.
I grew up watching 'Corrie,' and I still watch it whenever I can. It's got everything - drama, humour, and great characters. I used to watch it even when I was living in Dubai.
Sometimes, there's a fine line between bravery and utter stupidity. The day I decided to climb into a boxing ring for a professional fight was probably on the side of stupidity.
I thought my dream job was to play cricket.
My bats were brilliant. The shape of them changed, and towards the end of my career, they got a little bit bigger.
I like the look of all-rounder Ben Stokes. I usually have no interest in comparing new players with myself, but there are some interesting parallels here.
'Top Gear' is one of those shows that you'd love to do.
I don't play for money. I'm not sure I even can play just for money. Money is great; I can't lie about that.
I made a series for ITV, just after I retired from Tests in 2009, called 'Flintoff Versus the World.' The idea was that I would attempt a series of extreme sports - rodeo riding, jumping out of aeroplanes, paragliding, cliff diving. I thought, 'Yeah, it looks fun. It's six weeks having a laugh.'
A lot of kids don't get the chance to play sport.
I have no problems with a multicultural society; I think that is to the benefit of the country. But you have to be careful what levels you take it to.
You can do pretty much anything you want in Dubai. In terms of getting around, everywhere's within half an hour in the car.
I'm a bit old school with my aftershave - I still wear Joop.
I love music more than I love sport.
I've never been - and never will be - someone who 'plays the game' with people.
I never really felt I belonged; there was always a sense of apartness. At school, I was the cricketer.
I've seen material competitiveness destroy relationships in dressing rooms. People end up worrying about what someone else is earning and whether they're missing out.
I actually love the Discovery Channel.
Apart from the occasional bit of dad dancing, I really can't dance.
It was an old cricket coach who started calling me Fred - as in Flintstone. There are far worse things to be called in the dressing room.
I rate myself as a driver, but I think everybody does.
I would never bet against a side I'm playing in. I'd never bet against myself, ever.
Some players like to practise right up to the start of play. But for me, whatever warming up I did was only going to be followed by cooling down again.
I won some winners' medals with Lancashire - a NatWest trophy and a couple of Sunday Leagues.
I was great mates with Muttiah Muralitharan, dating back to the days when we both played together at Lancashire.
Since leaving cricket, I've tried my hand at professional boxing, a live stage show, and working for TV. I've had some interesting experiences, including working with the former basketball player Dennis Rodman.
Cricket kept me away from trouble.
I want to be the world's number one one-day player; I want to win a World Cup, win the championship with Lancashire - those are my motivations.
The one thing we need to do to continue to maintain Test cricket as being special is cutting down the amount and make it a real occasion rather than playing one after another.
I do sometimes like a bit of cheese, like MC Hammer.
I remember, when Paul Collingwood first came into the dressing room, we did everything together. We practised together, trained together, had dinner together; we batted together and did well in games together - we were thick as thieves. When he got established, he just binned me.
As a cricketer, I played on bravado and character. My personality was bound up with how I played the game.
There have always been two people jostling for control of my life, two totally opposite characters. The first one is super-confident, bulletproof, a showman, and an extrovert. He tries to make people laugh, messes about, gets into trouble, shrugs it off. The other character is withdrawn and reflective.
