Richard Hammond wife: Who is Mindy Hammond and how many children do they have?

9 January 2025, 14:56 | Updated: 9 January 2025, 14:59

By Alice Dear

Who is Richard Hammond's wife? Why are they divorcing? What have they said about their split? How many children do they have? All your questions, answered.

Richard Hammond, 55, announced on Thursday, 9th January, that he and his wife of 28-years, Mindy Hammond, 59, are divorcing.

The Top Gear and Grand Tour star shared a candid but short statement on social media where he said that their "marriage is coming to an end" and that their family will be "structured differently".

In the statement, Richard said both he and Mindy would still be in each other's lives as they are "proud" of the family they have created; their two daughters, Izzy and Willow.

From their wedding to welcoming their children, here's everything you need to know about Richard and Mindy Hammond's marriage and family life.

Who is Richard Hammond's wife?

Richard Hammond's wife is Mindy Hammond, a writer and columnist who previously worked for the Daily Express.

For the couple, it was love at first sight with Richard admitting 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.”

The pair married in 2002 but went through a particularly hard time in 2006 when Richard crashed his car while filming Top Gear, landing him in a life-threatening coma for two weeks.

Reflecting on this time in their lives, Mindy said: "It was disconcerting when, early after the crash, Richard looked at me from his hospital bed and said, 'You're lovely, but you're not my wife'.

"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."

While Richard's memories of loved ones returned, he admitted he still struggles with short-term memory due to the accident.

Who are Richard and Mindy Hammond's children?

Richard and Mindy Hammond have two daughters together; Izzy and Willow.

Isabella was born in 2001, a year before the pair got married, and Willow was born in 2004.

Willow, 22, and Izzy, 24, spent their childhoods out of the spotlight, but are now old enough to pursue their own careers in the industry.

For example, Izzy now appears on a podcast with her dad called Who We Are Now, focusing on mental health issues.

Why have Richard and Mindy Hammond split?

Richard Hammond announced via social media that he and wife Mindy were separating on Thursday, 9th January, 2025.

In a statement, he wrote: "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."