Hammond calls divorce after 23 years as painful as his 320mph crash that left him in a coma
Richard Hammond has spoken publicly for the first time about the collapse of his marriage – and stunned fans by comparing the trauma to the horror of his infamous 320mph crash.
The former Top Gear presenter, 55, revealed that the past year has been the darkest of his life, marked not only by his split from wife Mindy but also the death of his father and the end of The Grand Tour, the Amazon Prime series he fronted with Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
In an emotional interview, Hammond said: “I’m 55. Things change. That’s what happens at this age. Big things change.”
But the clearest sign of his pain came when he likened his divorce to the near-fatal 2006 jet-car accident that left him in a coma for two weeks and with long-term brain injuries.
“Whatever happens to us, we can decide. Maybe not in the moment,” Hammond said. “I didn’t decide, as the car was going over at 320mph, ‘I’m going to make this a good thing’. But there came a moment when I thought, ‘Right, my reaction to this is going to be positive.’ That’s what you have to do. Well, it’s what I do.”
Hammond and Mindy announced their split eight months ago after 23 years of marriage and 28 years together. They insisted at the time that “no one else was involved”, but rumours swirled that Mindy had initiated the separation.
In their joint statement, the pair said: “Our marriage is coming to an 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.”
Asked directly if it had been Mindy’s decision to leave, Hammond responded carefully: “In terms of that particular issue that’s a decision we took, as we said at the time. We put out a statement and it still stands.”
The divorce, expected to involve a multi-million-pound settlement, marks a shocking turn for one of television’s most recognisable presenters, who for years cultivated the image of a devoted family man. Hammond frequently spoke about his love for his wife and their daughters, and he once described his 2006 accident as a moment that reminded him “life is fragile” and strengthened his bond with his family.
Now, two decades later, the trauma has come full circle. Just as the jet-car crash changed the course of his life, so too has the breakdown of his marriage.
In addition to the split, Hammond has also had to deal with the passing of his father, piling fresh grief onto an already devastating year. Meanwhile, the curtain has come down on The Grand Tour, the motoring juggernaut that reunited him with Clarkson and May after their acrimonious departure from the BBC.
Despite the turmoil, Hammond is throwing himself back into work. He addresses his personal struggles in the first episode of the new series of Richard Hammond’s Workshop, the show documenting his attempts to build a classic car restoration business.
The presenter, who has long been nicknamed “Hamster” by fans, is clearly determined to survive his latest crash – not on a racetrack, but in his personal life. Whether he can rebuild his world with the same determination he once showed after his 2006 accident remains to be seen.