Former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff has opened up about his little-known struggle with bulimia.

The 42 year-old, who first revealed his battle with the eating disorder six years ago, is the subject of a documentary on BBC One at 9pm tonight entitled Freddie Flintoff: Living With Bulimia.

And while he is publicly addressing the issue in depth for the first time, he admits he is also still very uncomfortable with being diagnosed.

“I don't want to be a statistic. I don't want it to be read that something has happened to me," he told the BBC when asking whether he needs professional help.

Flintoff spearheaded England to a first Ashes win in 18 years when the national team triumphed in 2005.

As a result of his performances that summer, he then went on to collect the Sports Personality of the Year award at the end of the year.

But he has now confirmed that he was suffering with bulimia during that series due to being tagged as the overweight player in the side.

"I became known as a fat cricketer. That was horrible," he added.

"That was when I started doing it. That was when I started being sick after meals. Then things started happening for me as a player."

Once he began getting into shape, he believes that fuelled the bulimia to continue as he was receiving positive feedback about his physical condition.

"Everyone was happy with me. My weight was coming down," he said. "It was like: 'I'm bossing this.' It just carried on and I was doing it all the time."

In the documentary, Flintoff cites the infamous pedalo controversy in 2007, where he was filmed drunk during the 2007 World Cup, as a turning point in his life.

He also ponders whether the premature end to his international career at just 31 was a result of his eating disorder.