Richard Hammond’s wife Mindy ended their marriage months ago, understands.
The former Top Gear star, 55, has been desperately trying to save his 28-year marriage until very recently, but the couple publicly announced they were splitting for good on Thursday.
As part of an impending divorce, Mindy, 59, reportedly wants to keep their £7million Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire.
In the wake of their split, Richard was said to have banished to his converted barn where he stored his motorbikes, but has now moved to a rented property in a nearby village where he runs his ‘Smallest Cog’ car restoration garage.
Their shock split comes amid claims from insiders that Richard – who shares two daughters with Mindy, Isabella, 24, and Willow, 22 – has become increasingly harder to live with in recent years due to injuries sustained in two near-fatal car crashes.
Mindy previously warned Richard was on his ‘last chance’, eight years before the couple announced their marriage was over.
Richard Hammond’s wife Mindy ended their marriage months ago after his two horror crashes put a strain on their relationship (pictured in 2024)
Richard nearly lost his life when he was involved in a 320mph crash while filming a Top Gear stunt at York’s Elvington airfield back in 2006
He endured a second brush with death after his £2million Rimac supercar careered off a hill and burst into flames as he raced at high speed through rural Switzerland in 2017
In 2006 he was hospitalised after crashing a Vampire Dragster at a speed in excess of two-hundred miles-per-hour and was put into a coma while filming a segment for Top Gear.
Eleven years later on the second season of The Grand Tour, Richard crashed a Rimac Concept One at a hill-climb in Switzerland.
He rolled the car several times and fractured his knee.
An insider told the Mail: ‘Richard has been through an awful lot and the knock-on effect from the crashes has impacted his relationship.
‘It’s understandable given the sheer magnitude of the accidents and the impact caused both physically and mentally, he’s done so well to recover and get back to normal life.
‘But they have changed him, there’s no getting away from it, and his relationship with Mindy has been harmed during the fallout.’
Richard’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by .
Speaking in 2022, Richard outlined exactly how the crashes had impacted him, and sighted his short term memory loss as his biggest concern.
On Thursday, the Top Gear star shared that he and his spouse have split after 28 years of marriage, writing in a statement they will ‘always be in each other’s lives’
As part of an impending divorce battle, Mindy, 59, reportedly wants to keep their £7million Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire
In the wake of their split, Richard was reportedly banished to his converted barn (pictured) where he stored his motorbikes, but has now moved to a rented property
The couple’s eldest daughter Isabella, 24, still lives on the estate, working with her father (pictured)
He said: ‘My left knee is bolted together with bolts and plates. I was told I can’t run on it and it will need replacing.
‘It’s putting off that replacement because they only last so long.
‘I just decided “bugger it”. It might last another ten years but I’ll be unhealthy and unhappy.
‘Whereas if I run on it, it will only probably only last five years but I will be healthy and happy
‘It hurts when it’s cold, it’s killing me this morning.
‘My short term memory is not what it was.
‘It’s got worse.
‘My working memory, if I’m in the studio, memorising a script it’s great – works fine.
Mindy previously warned Richard was on his ‘last chance’, eight years before the couple announced their marriage was over
‘My long-term memory is good, but short to mid-term, what happened two weeks ago – I don’t have a clue.’
Richard revealed he and his spouse had split on Thursday, writing in a statement they will ‘always be in each other’s lives’.
He 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.
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Inside Richard Hammond's man cave on £7m Bollitree Castle estate after his split from wife Mindy
‘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.’
It comes after Richard was seen without his wife on New Year’s Eve nursing a pint of Guinness at a Hereford pub.
The Grand Tour host was happy to take selfies with fans at the Wye Inn but onlookers couldn’t help noticing he was there without his family.
A source told the : ‘Richard popped in for a quiet drink with a few mates and work pals from his Smallest Cog workshop.
‘His garage is well known for restoring classic cars and he is clearly sticking close to home.’
The split has come as a shock to residents. One, who has lived in the town for 10 years, remembers bumping into the presenter in the supermarket.
They said: ‘It is of course very sad when a marriage is over and I do feel sorry for them. I would often see him in Morrisons and he was also happy to talk to people. He is very well known and often seen around the town.’
Another resident said she met when he took his daughters Izzy and Willow to a local pony club.
She said: ‘They were a lovely close family. It was quite a few years ago as the girls are all grown up. Everyone around here knows where they live and they have been part of the community since they bought the castle.
‘It is sad that he and his wife have decided to split. No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.’