{"id":87094,"date":"2025-09-26T16:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/87094\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T16:48:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:48:12","slug":"my-year-from-hell-richard-hammond-breaks-his-silence-on-the-devastating-collapse-of-his-marriage-as-he-reveals-terrible-impact-of-his-fathers-death-and-how-his-new-car-business-has-lost-half-a-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/87094\/","title":{"rendered":"My year from hell: RICHARD HAMMOND breaks his silence on the ‘devastating’ collapse of his marriage – as he reveals terrible impact of his father’s death and how his new car business has lost half a million pounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Hammond<\/a> looks tired. Distracted. Is he OK? \u2018Yeah,\u2019 he says wearily. \u2018I\u2019m 55. Things change. That\u2019s what happens at this age. Big things change.\u2019 The dapper chap from Top Gear<\/a>, The Grand Tour and Total Wipeout is usually so chipper, but today there\u2019s a sadness he can\u2019t seem to shake off. And that\u2019s understandable, given all he\u2019s been through in the past year.<\/p>\n

First his long, successful screen partnership with great mates James May<\/a> and Jeremy Clarkson<\/a> came to an end, with an elegiac final episode of The Grand Tour. \u2018That was a big loss. Huge.\u2019 Then his father Alan died in a hospice at the age of 80, from cancer<\/a>. They were close. \u2018I loved him dearly.\u2019<\/p>\n

And a third blow came in January when Richard and Mindy Hammond announced their marriage was over after 23 years. \u2018Let\u2019s get something out of the way straight away,\u2019 the presenter says in the first episode of his new series of Richard Hammond\u2019s Workshop. The show is about his struggles to run a classic car restoration business, but this time he feels the need to address the rumours. \u2018There has been a slight change in my circumstances recently. I got divorced. Which means I now live here.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard used to be the master of Bollitree Castle, the sprawling Grade II-listed mansion in Herefordshire he shared with Mindy. Now we see him in a rented farmhouse in the countryside. The decor looks like a bland hotel but there are misty fields and a vintage dove-grey Jaguar outside as Richard insists, \u2018I like it. It\u2019s got amazing views, a place to keep some of my cars and bikes and best of all it\u2019s closer to the workshop.\u2019 Then the cheerfulness drops. \u2018I\u2019m trying to put a silver lining on this. It\u2019s been a tough few years, but it\u2019s not all bad.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard is dressed in familiar snappy style when we meet at a hotel in west London<\/a> \u2013 skinny cream chinos, a fitted white shirt and a natty powder-blue jacket \u2013 but there are bags under his eyes. His goatee has been salted and peppered over the years.<\/p>\n

\"Richard <\/p>\n

Richard Hammond\u2019s Workshop sees the presenter discuss his struggles to run a classic car restoration business<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The former Top Gear star set up his garage The Smallest Cog in Hereford five years ago to repair his own classic cars and others\u2019<\/p>\n

I recognise his air of bewilderment as a sign of grief, having lost my own father recently. We sympathise with each other, shake hands and share a moment, but Richard says he\u2019s determined to see things positively. \u2018I\u2019ve always believed \u2013 and this sounds like therapy talk but it was my own thought \u2013 that nothing has happened to you until you react to it. It\u2019s your reaction that defines it. Absolutely. You have total choice on that. I include my brain injury and the recovery afterwards.\u2019<\/p>\n

Fans of Top Gear will remember he crashed a jet-powered dragster at super high speed in 2006. Richard was in a coma for a fortnight and suffered brain injuries that affected his memory and emotions. The recovery was long, but he did return to work and described his experiences. \u2018That was a choice: choosing to make that a good thing, to write a book about it that millions of people read and benefited from. So that\u2019s what I\u2019ll do.\u2019<\/p>\n

He continues, \u2018Whatever happens to us, we can decide. Maybe not in the moment: I didn\u2019t decide, as the car was going over at 320mph: \u201cI\u2019m going to make this a good thing.\u201d But there came a moment when I thought, \u201cRight, my reaction to this is going to be positive.\u201d That\u2019s what you have to do. Well, it\u2019s what I do.\u2019<\/p>\n

Yes, he\u2019s comparing the trauma of the past year to his car crash. So-called friends of the family have suggested to reporters \u2013 anonymously, of course \u2013 that there was nobody else involved in the divorce but it was Mindy\u2019s choice. I notice he\u2019s talking as if it is something that has happened to him, rather than his own doing, so is that right? Richard stares for a moment then picks his words carefully. \u2018In terms of that particular issue that\u2019s a decision we took, as we said at the time. We put out a statement and it still stands.\u2019<\/p>\n

The couple did indeed say in January: \u2018Our marriage is coming to an end, but we\u2019ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters… We will always be in each other\u2019s lives and are proud of the family we created.\u2019<\/p>\n

What\u2019s his attitude now, eight months on? \u2018It\u2019s as I said in the show: \u201cOK, that\u2019s happened. Moving on.\u201d\u2019 This may be too soon, but can he see himself looking for another relationship? Richard winces, sucks in air through his teeth and says, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t know. I haven\u2019t got time. Right now I\u2019m coming to the end of a series and then\u2026 that will be for me to think about.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard Hammond\u2019s Workshop is all about The Smallest Cog, the garage he set up in Hereford five years ago to repair his own classic cars and others\u2019. TV star Debbie McGee, Paul Daniels\u2019 widow, is a client in the new series, with a flood-damaged Mercedes brought back from ruin by Richard\u2019s skilled mechanics.<\/p>\n

But the company has been in trouble for all four series. \u2018We\u2019ve been through the mill. Bloody hell, it\u2019s been hard at times. Why? Because of my lack of management ability and the market: it\u2019s not an easy time to be setting out to restore expensive cars, when people are more concerned about the rising cost of living.\u2019<\/p>\n

Has he lost money? \u2018God, yeah. Tons of it.\u2019 A million? \u2018Half.\u2019 Half a million? \u2018Yes. And also, I sold a load of my cars and bikes when I set up, to buy all the expensive equipment. I sold a Lotus Esprit 350 Sport, a Bentley S2, a 1969 Porsche 911T, a Honda Gold Wing, a Kawasaki Z900\u2026\u2019 The list goes on and amounts to vehicles worth at least a couple of hundred thousand pounds. Was there a point when he thought the business was a mistake? \u2018Yeah. Most weeks I\u2019ve thought, \u201cThis just doesn\u2019t work.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Bollitree <\/p>\n

Bollitree Castle, the sprawling Grade II-listed mansion in Herefordshire which Richard shared with his wife Mindy<\/p>\n

Surely he can take a loss, having made millions from telly? \u2018My pockets are not limitlessly deep,\u2019 says Richard. \u2018I have to earn what I spend. I wouldn\u2019t want to throw it away. And these are people\u2019s actual jobs. It\u2019s not a game.\u2019<\/p>\n

There are obvious comparisons to his old mucker\u2019s big hit Clarkson\u2019s Farm, but Hammond\u2019s motivations are also personal. \u2018My grandfather apprenticed as a cabinet maker and went into coach building, then cars, in Birmingham, he could work wood, metal, any material. It was always an ambition of mine to have a workshop, as a means of getting involved in the industry properly.\u2019<\/p>\n

One of his proudest moments was buying a hand-built Morgan 44 Sport in British Racing Green for his own father. \u2018He was thrilled. He loved that car. Mum and Dad drove it down to France and Italy on holiday.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard\u2019s eyes begin to glisten as he talks about Alan, who became very ill but bore his suffering with grace. \u2018He was utterly magnificent last year: as gentle and as kind-hearted as we\u2019d always known he was. It was the most breathtaking thing to watch. He made it beautiful. I thanked him for it, and he knows that\u2019s how I felt, how we all felt.\u2019<\/p>\n

His voice cracks with emotion. \u2018When he was in the hospice in the last stages I would sit with him and talk and we would go for an imaginary walk around Buttermere in the Lake District, which we know very well. I could talk him through every step of it and he would lie there and smile. Or we\u2019d go and lie on a moor in our minds and listen to the skylarks. It was beautiful. The mind is an amazing place.\u2019<\/p>\n

Alan died in October, although this was not made public until the New Year. \u2018For one of the first times in my life, I threw work over. I just rang and said, \u201cSorry everybody, I\u2019ve got to be left out.\u201d\u2019 Sometimes Richard forgets his father has gone. \u2018It\u2019s the strangest thing. Something will be happening and I will think, \u201cI must go and tell Dad.\u201d Then I realise, \u201cOh. I can\u2019t.\u201d My brothers feel the same thing.\u2019 Has he tried speaking to his father out loud? \u2018Yeah, why not. I\u2019ll have a little chat sometimes. These people exist forever because they\u2019re part of the pattern of our lives. Dad is always in my \u201cnow\u201d because he is woven into me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard owns the green Morgan now and he races vintage cars, but is more aware than ever of his responsibilities. \u2018I don\u2019t take unnecessary risks. I have two beautiful daughters and I don\u2019t want their father to suddenly exit stage left.\u2019<\/p>\n

Izzy was born first, 24 years ago. \u2018She used to come out with me on the back of a motorcycle when she was about ten.\u2019 He\u2019s smiling as he thinks about it. \u2018We had helmet comms. That\u2019s really good for father-daughter time, because you\u2019re not looking at each other, so the conversation can go wherever you like.\u2019<\/p>\n

She graduated from Bristol University in 2023 and now makes podcasts with her dad and brightens up the new series, but also works for other outlets. \u2018She\u2019s establishing herself as a car journalist in her own right. Obviously I could open the door, but what she did then was down to her,\u2019 he says. \u2018Now I don\u2019t know what she\u2019s doing most of the time. The day will come when I\u2019m happy just to pitch up and bring her packed lunch. I feel that with both my daughters.\u2019<\/p>\n

His youngest is 22. \u2018Willow is into horses and she\u2019s really focusing on art at the moment, which is great to see.\u2019 She is less keen to be filmed. \u2018She doesn\u2019t have to be, although she\u2019s hilarious on camera. They both are, because they\u2019ve grown up with it all their lives.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Richard <\/p>\n

Richard with his daughter Izzy, who\u00a0now makes podcasts with her dad and brightens up the new series, but also works for other outlets<\/p>\n

\"Richard <\/p>\n

Richard and Mindy Hammond announced their marriage was over after 23 years in January<\/p>\n

Has having daughters changed his attitudes towards women? \u2018Yeah, definitely. I\u2019m the eldest of three sons and have worked in worlds traditionally male-dominated, but which are thankfully now being opened up to women.\u2019<\/p>\n

Top Gear was very blokey, and The Grand Tour was softer but still very much about the lads. \u2018We weren\u2019t blokey,\u2019 he protests. \u2018We were more sensitive than that.\u2019 He changes tack. \u2018I am a bloke. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that. Some people are blokes, but there\u2019s nothing toxic about it. Inclusivity, approachability, acceptability \u2013 none of those things are denied by being a bloke.\u2019<\/p>\n

Are he, May and Clarkson still mates? \u2018Yeah, I spoke to both of them this week. People want to know that we all hate each other, but it\u2019s not true. We couldn\u2019t have spent so much time together if we did, there would have been a murder.\u2019<\/p>\n

Have they really finished for good? \u2018Yeah.\u2019 For sure? He sounds hesitant. \u2018Well, yes. We agreed. We were well aware we were getting a bit older. But who knows? It\u2019s an ever-changing world. We\u2019ll see. There\u2019s nothing planned.\u2019<\/p>\n

There have been so many endings in his life lately, it must be nice to launch a new series. \u2018It\u2019s that season. Autumn is melancholy and misty, but it was a beautiful crisp morning and I actually feel a blossoming, because of the new school year,\u2019 says Richard, again trying to stay positive. \u2018I quite like September for that, I always have done. It\u2019s a new start.\u2019<\/p>\n

Richard Hammond\u2019s Workshop returns on 6 October on Discovery+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Hammond looks tired. Distracted. Is he OK? \u2018Yeah,\u2019 he says wearily. \u2018I\u2019m 55. Things change. That\u2019s what…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[118,18,117,19,17,57343,57342,46007,438],"class_list":{"0":"post-87094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-richard-hammond","14":"tag-the-grand-tour","15":"tag-top-gear","16":"tag-tvshowbiz"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}