Richard Hammond marriage split in full from 'cause' to who 'pulled plug'

Richard Hammond and Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond have called time on their marriage after an 'amazing 28 years together', and a source has now shed some light on this difficult decision

As soon as Richard Hammond announced his sad split from his wife of 28 years, whispers started as to how the break-up came about.

The former Top Gear star today announced that he and wife, Amanda “Mindy” Hammond, will be parting ways after an “amazing 28 years together”. Solihull-born Richard, 55, has previously described newspaper columnist Mindy, 59, as his "soul-mate and best friend for life".

The pair lived an idyllic life together at the breathtaking Bollitree Castle, in Herefordshire. But sadly, their fairytale has come to an end, with a source shedding light on who exactly instigated the shock split...

According to The Sun, it was Mindy who demanded a divorce from her husband as she "wanted him gone", with Richard said to have been left heartbroken.

According to the source: "Richard is very upset about all this. It seems he has tried hard to rekindle the relationship but to no avail. There is no speculation that any third party is involved."

The publication also reports that Mindy has requested to keep their £7 million Bollitree Castle estate, as the business of divorce settlements begins.

In a joint statement shared on Richard's X account today, the Hammonds wrote: "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."

The couple first locked eyes in 1995, at a time when they were both working for the same London-based PR firm. Recalling their romantic first meeting in his 2007 memoir On the Edge: My Story, Richard wrote: "In an instant, I fell in love with her and realised I had met my soul-mate and best friend for life."

They married in May 2002 and, in 2006, went on to purchase the beautiful grade II listed Bollitree Castle, which boasts a swimming pool and six acres of land.

Richard and Mindy went on to welcome children Isabella, 24, and Willow, 22, and stuck by each other through some tough hurdles, including Richard's horror crash in 2006.

Richard was left with brain damage after his car flipped over at York's RAF base, during a scene filmed for Top Gear. Remembering her shock at Richard's memory loss in a 2019 interview with The Telegraph, Mindy shared: "It was disconcerting when, early after the crash, Richard looked at me from his hospital bed and said, 'You're lovely, but you're not my wife'.

"When I corrected him, he responded, 'No, you're not my wife, my wife is French'. Indeed, when he was allowed home five weeks later, it became clear that Richard's memory loss was no short-term affliction."

Richard returned to Top Gear in early 2007, but his memory has taken some time to heal. Despite their ordeal, Richard and Mindy appeared happy, and previously spoke about the strength of their marriage.

Only last June, Richard shared the secrets to his and Mindy's marital bliss. Opening up to The Telegraph, Richard revealed that good marriages required focusing on the deceptively little things, advising readers: "Know what’s in the fridge, know what cleaning products you use in the house".

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