Richard Hammond 'slept in castle's barn' before shock split after 28 years

Richard Hammond, who married Amanda Hammond in 2002, shocked fans when he announced the split on social media

Richard Hammond's wife, Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond, reportedly made him sleep in their castle's barn before their shock split.

The Grand Tour star, 55, and Mindy, 59, made the announcement of their separation on X/Twitter on January 9, with the duo writing: "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 sources, it is believed that Richard was sleeping in the converted barn of their £7 million Bollitree Castle estate in Herefordshire. It has also been claimed that she is proposing to keep their holiday property in the Lake District, his flat in London and a share in their horses in the settlement agreement.

Speaking to The Sun, the insider claimed: "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 Richard's reps for comment.

The Grand Tour and Top Gear star married Mindy in 2002 after falling in love with her in 'an instant' when they first met in the 90s. Richard and Mindy, who share two children, went through thick and thin together, with the columnist looking after Richard when he got into a horrific crash while filming Top Gear.

he 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 explained: "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.

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