Vaughan entitled to celebrate Test achievement, says Flintoff

Vaughan criticised Flintoff's drunken antics on a pedalo during the World Cup on the eve of the Third Test against West Indies last week.

He said the "Fredalo" incident had adversely affected team morale during the Caribbean tournament.

Days later Vaughan himself was photographed apparently looking worse for wear after he toasted the team's success at Old Trafford, which gave him 21 Test wins.

He was pictured sitting on a wall and falling asleep in Manchester city centre after visiting several nightspots on Monday.

Flintoff brushed off comparisons with his late night cruise in St Lucia as he picked up the Celebrity Dad of the Year accolade at the Lowry Hotel - the same hotel in which Vaughan slept off his celebrations.

He said: "Michael has become England's greatest ever captain with his amount of wins and if you can't go out and celebrate that, what can you do?

"Myself and Michael talked last week. We are friends and we have moved on.

"The one thing we should do is congratulate Michael on what is a massive achievement."

He admitted winning the award, sponsored by Virgin Money, had come "out of the blue" and said the pedalo saga had never affected his family life.

The 29-year-old said: "These things happen but it has not changed the way I look upon my family or the time we spend together. I am a family man.

"Myself and (wife) Rachel have taken a conscious decision to spend as much time as we can with each other and the children.

"Making time for family is the most important thing to me and I am touched that the public have acknowledged that."