Richard Hammond's wife Mindy 'demanded divorce' as she 'wanted him gone'

Richard Hammond and Mindy Hammond, who tied the knot in 2002, released a statement on social media announcing their shocking split

Richard Hammond's wife, Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond, reportedly 'demanded the divorce' from him.

In a shock statement, Richard, 55, and Mindy, 59, revealed they're calling time on their relationship after 28 years together. Sharing the news on his personal X account, the Top Gear star 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."

According to Richard, it was love at first sight when they first met in 1995. He revealed in his book that he 'fell in love with her in an instant'. They tied the knot in 2002 and share two daughters, Izzy and Willow. Following the announcement of their split, a source claimed Mindy was the one who demanded a divorce.

A source claimed to The Sun she "wanted him gone". They alleged: "Richard is very upset about all this. It seems he has tried hard to rekindle the relationship but to no avail." The Mirror have reached out to his reps for comment.

Solihull-born Richard has previously described newspaper columnist Mindy as his "soul-mate and best friend for life". 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."

The couple 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.

In the days after the crash, Richard didn't remember her. Speaking about his memory loss in 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."

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