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Richard Hammond discusses his mental health and masculinity in honest chat with daughter Izzy after she branded him an ‘idiot’ – following shock marriage split

BBG News

Richard Hammond plans to have an open conversation about his mental health and masculinity with his daughter Izzy, after his surprising divorce from television.

55-year-old star from Top Gear has recently announced the termination of their 28-year marriage, and it’s been reported that Mindy, aged 59, intends to retain the castle in Herefordshire during their upcoming divorce proceedings.

In the upcoming season of their podcast titled “Who We Are Now,” the father-daughter team will welcome famous personalities like Professor Green, David Harewood, and Leigh Francis as special guests.

This statement is made shortly after Izzy, aged 24, called her father a ‘fool’, as she pondered about the essence of his profession and the harrowing accidents he’s experienced throughout the years.

In the forthcoming series set for release on January 21st, Richard and Izzy will share their personal stories of self-development and address societal prejudices.

The discussion will delve into subjects such as midlife transitions, defining the contemporary male, menopause experiences, and strategies for leading a more vibrant lifestyle.

In the previous week, Izzy disclosed some struggles faced by her mom, Mindy, due to the fact that her father, who was involved in productions like Top Gear and The Grand Tour, wasn’t present a great deal during her upbringing because he was frequently absent filming.

During an interview on Ben Fowler’s podcast, Road To Success, Izzy was posed the question a few days prior to the public announcement of her parents’ separation: “Do you consider your father more as a risk-taker or a fool?

The enthusiastic car aficionado responded with: ‘We’ve executed donuts at roundabouts, but please understand, it’s highly illegal and you may need to exclude that part from your discussion. He seems reckless.’

He possesses an unusual trait that many racers share, a lack of fear that is almost uncommon. Unlike most people who can identify their personal limit, he seems to lack this boundary. Instead, his instinct is to keep pushing himself forward without hesitation.

2006 saw the presenter endure critical brain trauma after a severe car accident during production for the popular BBC series, which left him unconscious.

Later in 2017, Mindy openly cautioned her spouse that he might need to leave television permanently if he met with another severe car accident – following his second high-speed collision.

Talking about the fact that her father wasn’t frequently present for her and her sister Willow (22), she mentioned: ‘I often ponder how challenging it might have been for my mother, as some of my most joyful memories just happen to be coincidentally with my dad, since he was away filming a lot.’

‘He wasn’t there a lot and that’s all I really knew growing up.’

She clarified that extended business trips kept him away for more than a month, and quickly added, “Just to be clear, I’m not implying I had a difficult childhood – absolutely not.

It seems my parents were excellent at finding their way around, as they never knew what lay ahead.

However, they skillfully provided pieces of information gradually, ensuring we had some understanding of his activities without causing alarm since much of their actions involved unimportant or foolish deeds that we ideally should not have been privy to.

Previously, Mindy mentioned that she had advised Richard about his risky actions, expressing to him: ‘Three times and that’s it for you. You’ve had two chances so far.’

On ITV’s This Morning, Mindy remarked: “Every decade, he has something like this. So, I’ve penciled down the next occurrence in my calendar.

Richard has frequently expressed his apologies to his wife and two daughters, acknowledging that he subjected them to unnecessary pain and distress multiple times.

Mindy said: ‘I’ve got teenage daughters and a nine-year-old man’.

At the same time, Izzy shared insights about the influence of her father’s alarming Top Gear accident, stating that he had trouble functioning, to the point where he was hardly able to fulfill his role as a father.

At that particular moment, Izzy was only seven years old. In a recently published podcast, she openly discussed the impact of the event on the family, revealing that it left him in a state of confusion or disorientation, as one might say he went ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’.

She explained: ‘Obviously the crash affected all of us in varying different ways.

I believe I was around seven years old, and it was mainly the aftermath that had a significant impact on our entire family. My father wasn’t himself for several months following the event. He was quite disoriented.

He was hardly present or aware during our time together, which resulted in many missing memories about him as a father. For an extended period, he seemed more like a shell of a person, struggling to operate even at basic levels. It was challenging for him to fulfill the role of a father, let alone a responsible adult.

At the specified moment, Mindy took a flight to reach her husband’s side in the hospital, as he had crashed on a Swiss hillside and was left in a coma for two weeks due to the accident involving Richard.

Last week, TopMob revealed that Richard’s wife Mindy ended their marriage months ago.

As a diehard devotee, I’ve been holding onto the hope that my beloved ex-Top Gear star could miraculously salvage his 28-year union. But alas, just yesterday, they declared their separation permanently, leaving me and countless others in a state of disbelief.

The surprise announcement arrives following allegations by confidants who say that Richard’s behavior has grown more difficult over the past few years, attributed to severe injuries he suffered in two nearly fatal automobile accidents.

A source informed The Mail that Richard has faced significant difficulties, and the aftermath of the accidents has strained his relationship.

Considering the enormous scale of the incidents and their profound physical and mental effects, it’s truly impressive that he’s managed to bounce back and return to his normal lifestyle.

It’s undeniable that he has been altered by them, and unfortunately, his bond with Mindy has suffered as a result of the aftermath.

Richard’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by TopMob. 

In the context of an upcoming divorce, it’s said that Mindy is intending to retain ownership of the £7million Bollitree Castle located in Herefordshire.

Following their separation, it appears that Richard was exiled to his renovated barn, which served as a storage space for his motorcycles. However, he recently shifted to a rental house in a neighboring village and has established a small car-restoration business there, named ‘Smallest Cog’.

Richard wed Mindy in the year 2002, having initially crossed paths way back in 1995. The host has mentioned before that there was an immediate pull between them from the very start.

Starting Tuesday, 21st January, you can tune into the latest episodes of “Who We Are Now” featuring Izzy and Richard Hammond, available on Global Player, as well as all major streaming platforms.

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2025-01-14 14:20

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