Richard Hammond split: shock statement in full as 'marriage comes to an end'

Top Gear and The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond and his wife Mindy announced their shocking split in a joint statement and shared the personal news on social media

TV star Richard Hammond and his wife, Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond, shocked fans when they announced their split after 28 years together.

The Grand Tour star, 55, tied the knot with Mindy, 59, in 2002. Richard previously said it was love at first sight, revealing in his book, On The Edge: My Story: "In an instant, I fell in love with her and realised I had met my soul-mate and best friend for life." However, they went through a tough time in 2006 when he crashed a car while filming Top Gear.

He was in a life-threatening coma for two weeks. Mindy helped nurse her husband back to health after the horrifying accident, which nearly claimed his life. The jet-powered supercar he was racing at 319mph flipped and smashed during filming for BBC's Top Gear.

Mindy previously said to The Telegraph it was 'disconcerting' when, in the days after the crash, he looked at her from the hospital bed and told her: "You're lovely, but you're not my wife." She said: "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."

The couple went through ups and downs together and welcomed two daughters, Izzy and Willow. But nearly 20 years on from the horror crash their marriage has come to an end. In a shock statement, Richard and Mindy revealed that after almost three decades together, they have decided to call it quits. Here is their statement, which was shared on X/ Twitter, in full...

Richard wrote on his personal X page: "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 post quickly gained thousands of likes, with many sharing their support in the comment section.

One concerned fan wrote to him: "Wishing you both all the best," while another user commented: "Its no one's business but your own, as much as some would love it to be otherwise. Enjoy life." One fan added: "Sorry to hear. Hope you get your privacy."

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