Richard Hammond Announces Surprise Split from Wife After 28 Years
Richard Hammond Announces Surprise Split from Wife After 28 Years.
Richard Hammond attributed his recovery from a coma following his 2006 Top Gear accident to his wife.
After 28 remarkable years together, Richard Hammond and his wife have declared their separation.
The 55-year-old television presenter, renowned for his contributions to the motoring shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour alongside former colleagues James May and Jeremy Clarkson, wed newspaper columnist Amanda “Mindy” Hammond in 2002.
In a statement released online on Thursday, the couple said: “A little update from us; this Christmas we were together as a family and this year we will still be a family but just structured a bit differently.
“Our marriage is coming to end, but we’ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters.”
“We will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created.
“We won’t be commenting further and sincerely hope that our privacy and that of our children will be respected at this time. With Love, Richard and Mindy.”
Amanda served as a crucial source of support for Hammond during his recovery from the severe consequences of his nearly fatal crash on Top Gear in 2006, when he sustained injuries while operating a jet-powered vehicle at a speed of 288 mph. This incident resulted in a brief coma and significant head trauma; however, he ultimately achieved a complete recovery and rejoined the show in early 2007.
Reflecting on the event sixteen years later, Hammond revealed in 2022 that it was the sound of his wife's voice, calling out to him in the hospital, that roused him from his coma.
“In hospital, in intensive care, things were apparently not looking very good, but I didn’t know, there was a lot of morphine floating around my system,” he said in 2022. “I finally woke and I shared with my wife Mindy a dream I’d been having. A really, really, really vivid one, probably, partly, on account of the morphine.
“And in my mind I’d been walking these hills here in the Lake District, overlooking Buttermere. I was having a lovely time strolling along and gradually I got a growing sense of you know when you know you’re in trouble.”
“(It) grew and grew until eventually in my dream I turned back, I didn’t walk back around this tree and carry on and then I woke.”
Upon awakening and recounting his dream to his wife, she revealed that simultaneously, she had been "shouting and screaming" at him, exclaiming, “Don’t you dare die!”
”That’s when I turned back from this tree in my dream and that’s when I woke,” said Hammond. “My last thought took me somewhere I love and somewhere I’m happy. So I’m not scared of this old tree. I pass it regularly, most months I come up here and walk, and every time I pass it, I do feel comforted.”
Hammond and his spouse are the parents of two daughters, Izzy, aged 24, and Willow, aged 22.
The automotive journalist co-hosts the podcast Who We Are Now with his daughter Izzy, who collaborates with him at his garage.
Hammond gained recognition on local radio prior to securing a position on Top Gear in 2002, subsequently presenting The Grand Tour on Amazon. He has also hosted game shows such as Brainiac and Total Wipeout.
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The end of Richard Hammond and Amanda Hammond’s 28-year marriage marks the close of a significant chapter in their lives. Despite the love and support that once defined their bond, the couple has chosen to part ways, leaving behind a shared history filled with both triumphs and challenges.
Their separation is a poignant reminder of how even the strongest relationships can evolve and change over time. As they navigate this difficult transition, one can only hope that the love they have for their children and the memories they created together will continue to guide them through this heart-wrenching period.
