Richard Hammonds daughter has opened up on his two crashes that left him barely a human as the TV star announced the end of his marriage.
The Top Gear star, 55, confirmed his split with Mindy on Thursday with claims from insiders that he has become increasingly harder to live with in recent years due to injuries sustained in two near-fatal car crashes.
Mindy, 59, previously warned Richard was on his last chance, eight years before the couple announced their marriage was over.
The couple, who have been married for 28 years, share two daughters Izzy, 24, and Willow, 22, with the eldest recently revealing that the first crash left her father having to relearn how to be a human being.
He was hospitalised after crashing a Vampire Dragster at a speed in excess of two-hundred miles-per-hour while filming a segment for Top Gear in 2006.
In the Road to Success Podcast that was released on Monday, Izzy said the crash affected the members of the family in varying different ways.
She said: The recovery was the thing that affected us as a family. Everyone talks about the crash and about how it was massive and scary. It was more that he was absolutely doolally for months and months afterwards.
He was just not with it at all so I just have a lot of gaps in memory of him as a dad because for a long time he wasnt.
The couples eldest daughter Izzy Hammond, 24, pictured with her father Richard Hammond who she said was barely a human after his first crash in 2006
Izzy said her father had relearn how to be a human being after the crash that left him in a coma
Richard nearly lost his life when he was involved in a 320mph crash while filming a Top Gear stunt at York’s Elvington airfield back in 2006
He was barely a human, he could barely function. He was trying to relearn how to be a human being, let alone be a father figure.
An insider told the Mail the crashes caused Richard a knock-on effect that impacted his relationship with his wife.
They said: Its understandable given the sheer magnitude of the accidents and the impact caused both physically and mentally, hes done so well to recover and get back to normal life.
But they have changed him, theres no getting away from it, and his relationship with Mindy has been harmed during the fallout.
Richards representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Izzy, who co-presents the podcast Who Are We Now with her father, revealed that her mother would change the date of her birthday as a child due to Richards hectic Top Gear schedule.
With the crash happening during Top Gear filming it meant that Izzys birthday party was held in the hospital as her father was fighting for his life.
I remember having a little mini birthday party in the hospital up in Leeds as my mum was trying to keep things as normal as possible for me and my sister, she said.
He endured a second brush with death after his £2million Rimac supercar careered off a hill and burst into flames as he raced at high speed through rural Switzerland in 2017
The couple married in 2002, and they share daughters Isabella, 24, and Willow, 22
Richard Hammonds wife Mindy ended their marriage months ago after his two horror crashes put a strain on their relationship (pictured in 2024)
On Thursday, the Top Gear star shared that he and his spouse have split after 28 years of marriage, writing in a statement they will always be in each others lives
There were all my little cousins and I was like "amazing all my little cousins are here" and I was like "why are they all here?" and its because their dads are in the room with my dad hoping he is going to be okay.
She continued: He was in hospital for a while. No one knew what was happening. He was in a coma, his vitals werent brilliant. Everyone was just trying to keep it as normal as possible.
Eleven years later on the second season of The Grand Tour, Richard crashed a Rimac Concept One at a hill-climb in Switzerland. He rolled the car several times and fractured his knee.
Izzy told how she was in the car with her mother when the received the call from Andy Wilman, Top Gear co-creator and executive producer, about the crash.
However, they only realised how serious the crash was when his co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson also rang.
She said: For me in the moment, the Rimac one, was a lot worst because I was 17 I think.
I was actually in the car with my mum when we go the call when he crashed. It was on speaker phone in the car.
We had one call from Andy Wilman saying what had happened, saying "its okay but this has happened, he spun off a mountain the car is on fire but its fine".
It was when Jeremy then called and that was a little bit more scary. Jeremy phoned Mindy saying "Its not great. Hes fine but its not great".
Jeremy Clarkson (left) and James May (right) were in contact with her mother a lot after the second crash
Izzy has taken up for her fathers passion for cars and now produces automotive content on YouTube. Pictured: Izzy (right) with her sister Willow (left)
The couples eldest daughter Izzy (right) and younger daughter Willow (centre) with their mother Mindy (left)
She added that Jeremy and James May were in contact with her mother a lot because they saw it and they were there.
A lot of people were cushioning blow but they were like "no this what happened and its really quite serious Mind", she said.
Izzy now produces automotive content on YouTube and admitted that she has this knowledge that things do wrong and can go wrong following her fathers two major crashes.
She said: For me I know it can go wrong so there is always that bit of trepidation I guess. It never made me hate cars.
They [the crashes] took him away from me and nearly took him away from me for good.
In the wake of her parents split, Richard was said to have banished to his converted barn where he stored his motorbikes, but has now moved to a rented property in a nearby village where he runs his Smallest Cog car restoration garage.
As part of an impending divorce, Mindy reportedly wants to keep their £7million Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire.
Speaking in 2022, Richard outlined exactly how the crashes had impacted him, and sighted his short term memory loss as his biggest concern.
As part of an impending divorce battle, Mindy, 59, reportedly wants to keep their £7million Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire
In the wake of their split, Richard was reportedly banished to his converted barn (pictured) where he stored his motorbikes, but has now moved to a rented property
He said: My left knee is bolted together with bolts and plates. I was told I cant run on it and it will need replacing.
Its putting off that replacement because they only last so long. I just decided "bugger it". It might last another ten years but Ill be unhealthy and unhappy.
Whereas if I run on it, it will only probably only last five years but I will be healthy and happy
It hurts when its cold, its killing me this morning. My short term memory is not what it was. Its got worse.
My working memory, if Im in the studio, memorising a script its great - works fine.
My long-term memory is good, but short to mid-term, what happened two weeks ago - I dont have a clue.
Richard revealed he and his spouse had split on Thursday, writing in a statement they will always be in each others lives.
He 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 weve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters.
We will always be in each others lives and are proud of the family we created.
We wont 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.
It comes after Richard was seen without his wife on New Years Eve nursing a pint of Guinness at a Hereford pub.
The Grand Tour host was happy to take selfies with fans at the Wye Inn but onlookers couldnt help noticing he was there without his family.
A source told the MailOnline: Richard popped in for a quiet drink with a few mates and work pals from his Smallest Cog workshop.
His garage is well known for restoring classic cars and he is clearly sticking close to home.
The split has come as a shock to residents. One, who has lived in the town for 10 years, remembers bumping into the presenter in the supermarket.
They said: It is of course very sad when a marriage is over and I do feel sorry for them. I would often see him in Morrisons and he was also happy to talk to people. He is very well known and often seen around the town.
Another resident said she met when he took his daughters Izzy and Willow to a local pony club.
She said: They were a lovely close family. It was quite a few years ago as the girls are all grown up. Everyone around here knows where they live and they have been part of the community since they bought the castle.
It is sad that he and his wife have decided to split. No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.