Richard Hammond 'very upset' after 'trying hard to rekindle' relationship before split

Former Top Gear star Richard Hammond and his wife Mindy have announced they are separating after an 'amazing' 28 years together. The Solihull-born star released a statement confirming their marriage was 'coming to an end' today (Thursday, January 9).

Reports suggest Richard was 'very upset' by the split, and had been trying to rekindle the relationship between them prior to the announcement. Amanda, who goes by Mindy, is reportedly asking to keep the £7million Bollitree Castle estate they own as part of their divorce settlement.

A source told The Sun: “Richard is very upset about all this. It seems he has tried hard to rekindle the relationship but to no avail. There is no speculation that any third party is involved.”

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The couple, who married in 2002, share two daughters, Isabella, 24, and Willow, 22. Richard co-hosts the Who Are We Now podcast with daughter Izzy.

In a joint statement announcing their split, the couple 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."

In his book On The Edge: My Story, Richard had spoken about the instant attraction he felt when he met Mindy. He wrote: “In an instant, I fell in love with her and realised I had met my soul-mate and best friend for life.”