Richard Hammond Divorce Reason Revealed: “Big Things Change” and 28 Years Wasn’t Enough

When 28 Years Isn’t the Whole Story: Richard Hammond and Mindy

No dramatic tabloid revelation occurred. No high-profile announcements of a covert affair. In January 2025, Richard Hammond and his wife Mindy announced their divorce in a joint statement that was almost purposefully quiet—warm, even. It said, “We’ve had two amazing daughters and an incredible 28 years together.” “We’ll be in each other’s lives forever.” Instead of making you grab popcorn, it was the kind of statement that causes you to pause and reflect.

You can learn something from that restraint. The official version of Richard Hammond’s divorce reason is essentially this: people change, life changes beneath you, and sometimes a long marriage ends naturally without a single compelling reason. According to Hammond, the breakup was a part of a challenging period in his life that also included his father’s passing. He claimed that as people age, “big things change.” That might be the most truthful explanation out there, but it’s also the least satisfying for anyone hoping for a more tidy narrative.

In a way, what followed was more illuminating than any scandal could have been. Hammond relocated to a rented farmhouse on a friend’s estate from Bollitree Castle, the family’s expansive Herefordshire home close to Ross-on-Wye. a location known as Camp Farm. Barely furnished, drafty in winter, and smaller than a wing of the castle he had just left. However, in a recent interview with the High Performance podcast, he claimed that the small cottage was the location of his happiest moment in years. “Friends came over to visit me. Not the house, not the fleet of vehicles—all of those had vanished. That admission has a subtle yet striking quality.

It’s important to keep in mind what Mindy stood for in Hammond’s public persona. She was more than just a background wife. She was present when he suffered a severe brain injury that kept him in the hospital for weeks after he almost died in a jet car crash on a Yorkshire airstrip in 2006. She supported her during the protracted recuperation, the crashes that followed, and two decades of a career that most people couldn’t keep up. In response to the divorce news, some members of that Reddit thread expressed sincere shock, pointing out that Mindy had supported him during life-threatening situations and that the couple had spoken of each other with genuine affection over the years. Since Hammond hasn’t stated it explicitly and it would be unjust to assume, it’s still unclear whether the brain injuries had any bearing on their final separation. However, people are altered by traumatic brain injuries in ways that are difficult to measure, and this is a legitimate concern.

An additional layer is added by the financial picture. Hammond admitted that he had lost “most of the chunk of money” from The Grand Tour. His father’s passing, the end of the Amazon show, and the dissolution of his marriage all happened in about the same amount of time. His description of it was straightforward and devoid of self-pity, which is either true composure or a very English kind of understatement. Most likely both.

By June 2025, Hammond had made his new relationship with Oxford-based therapist and school governor Keira “Kiki” Glen public. Since the announcement, Mindy has, for the most part, kept quiet. The two have maintained their good relations by attending their daughter Willow’s graduation from Gloucestershire’s Hartpury University together. That is not insignificant. It takes genuine effort on both sides to maintain that level of dignity in public after almost thirty years.

Since then, Hammond has spent £2 million on a Georgian mansion in Llanwenarth, but plans for renovations have been put on hold after surveyors found rare bats on the 21-acre property. He doesn’t seem to care. He told BBC Wales, “You don’t move somewhere as beautiful as this and expect to stamp out everything that already exists there.” It’s what people say when they’ve truly come to terms with their current situation.

Observing all of this, one gets the impression that the Hammond divorce story is more about timing than a cause. Two individuals who, after creating a life together under truly remarkable circumstances, came to the conclusion that the life they had created was no longer appropriate for the individuals they had grown into. That occurs. It doesn’t negate the significance of 28 years. It simply indicates that the chapter has ended.