Richard Hammond’s daughters take savage dig at mainstream media amid parents’ marriage split after 28 years
Richard Hammond’s daughters Izzy and Willow have made their feelings clear about the headlines that have emerged following their parents’ decision to end their marriage.
On January 9, The Grand Tour star Richard, 55, took to social media to announce that his family will now be “structured a little differently” following an “amazing 28 years of marriage” with wife Mindy.
The former Top Gear host added that he and his wife “will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created” before confirming he wouldn’t be commenting further on the breakup.
In the fortnight since the announcement, daughter Izzy had previously broken cover on social media, with the podcast host sharing a series of snaps from a getaway in the USA. However, she avoided mention of her parents’ split.
Meanwhile, Richard has returned to work in a series of on-screen projects, including videos on the DriveTribe YouTube channel and appearing alongside daughter Izzy in their podcast series, Who We Are Now.
And it was during these media appearances that the 55-year-old found himself making headlines, with several outlets reporting on one incident in which Richard branded himself an “idiot” following the split.
During a piece to the camera in a DriveTribe video, Richard self-deprecatively called himself the name after admitting to locking himself out of his home and having to call a locksmith.
The presenter hit headlines once again this week following the return of the father-and-daughter podcast series when he opened up about battling with “catastrophic” mental battle due to the pressures of being a male TV personality over the past few decades.
With her father becoming such a prominent presence in the news cycle this month, Izzy decided to return to social media to poke fun at the outpouring of headlines focussed on her parents and father, in particular.
Taking a thinly veiled dig at the media coverage, Izzy shared a series of snaps from a filming obligation with her dad and wrote in the accompanying caption: “A busy week in Buttermere with ‘idiot’ father.”
Izzy was soon inundated with comments applauding her for sarcastically ridiculing the media, including one from her younger sister Willow.
Willow clearly shared the sentiment expressed by her sibling as she simply penned in response: “This is hilarious.”
“Ace caption,” one fan echoed as they showed their support while another of Izzy’s followers wrote: “Love this caption. Always remember that whilst they target you and yours theyre leaving someone else less fortunate alone! Keep doing what you do!!”
“Love the ‘up yours’ caption. Chin up for both of you,” a third agreed before a fourth applauded: “Good for you, enjoy your time together and ignore the press and the haters.
“What goes on behind closed doors between husband and wife is no business of anyone else.” (sic)
The “idiot” headlines Izzy appeared to mock stemmed from her father telling DriveTribe viewers in a video shared last week: “I’m actually getting ready this afternoon to go to the Lake District, I’ve got everything packed and ready, and then I thought I’ll go and empty the bins.
“So I took the kitchen bin out the front door – I never lock anything – but it’s a Yale lock, and the door stuck. I was stood outside, I was in my Crocs, I was in my dressing gown.
“I didn’t have my phone, the keys, anything. It was quite panicky, and I thought, ‘What do I do now?’ I thought about crying, but then I thought that won’t help.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
BBC The Traitors fans make urgent plea for ‘bullied’ player as major twist lands them at risk of axeITV Grantchester fans make feelings clear on Tom Brittney replacement after ‘heartbreaking’ exitLisa Hogan delights Clarkson’s Farm fans as she drops huge Diddly Squat update amid closure
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…
— Richard Hammond (@RichardHammond) January 9, 2025
“I felt about 10. I don’t know how burglars make a living. I do not know. So in the end, I had to phone a locksmith, who got in in five seconds. So in short, I’m late because I’m an idiot.”
Meanwhile, his full statement addressing his split from his wife read: “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.”