Richard Hammond's wife Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond once teased that the couple did not enjoy romantic getaways together. It was announced on Thursday that the former Top Gear presenter, 55, has split from his wife Mindy, 59, after 28 years together. The former couple issued a joint statement in which they announced their marriage "is coming to end".
The former couple, who have been married since 2002, are parents to daughters Izzy Hammond, 23, and Willow Hammond, 21, together. They said in the statement shared by Richard on X that they will "still be a family". Richard and Mindy have given insights into their relationship over the years. It's included discussing the impact of a car crash that he was involved in whilst filming the BBC motoring show in 2006, which left him in hospital for two weeks.
And opening up about their relationship in a column for the Express in 2017, Mindy teased that they rarely took "romantic mini-breaks" together. She wrote about their experience whilst discussing having recently enjoyed a "liaison" together in France, with her flying out to meet Richard, who had been working in Spain, whilst their kids remained in the UK.
Mindy wrote: "Doesn't that sound romantic? Don't get too excited, dear reader. In our 22 years together we have managed precisely two 'romantic mini-breaks' - one in the first year of our relationship when we camped in Buttermere and woke to soggy bottoms and four inches of water and the other a quick trip to Rome a couple of years ago when we were both so exhausted we found ourselves nodding off after lunch and missing most of our sightseeing time.".
