once admitted he was a “crappy father” to his two daughters, Willow and Isabella.
star welcomed Isabella in 2001 and Willow in 2003 with his wife Mindy – full name Amanda Etheridge. Now the pair have announced their separation after 28 years together, and Richard has made some devastating confessions.
In October 2023, just over a year before their split, Richard confessed to The Sunday Times that he struggled to accept the responsibilities of being a parent when Izzy was born.
He explained: “It sounds ridiculous now given how lucky I’ve been with my job, but there were nights when I drove home from a shoot and parked round the corner until I knew bathtime was finished. I was pretty crappy as a father.”
The pair were struggling financially in their first few years as parents, and Richard still worried about money when Willow was born. He started working on in 2002, and the first year left him exhausted with travelling away for work so often.
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Richard Hammond has two daughters, Izzy and Willow (Image: Getty)
His daughter Izzy came as a “surprise” to the couple, while Richard was still working as a freelance presenter at Granada TV.
He added: “Izzy was an angelic baby, although there are actually two views on that because I was often away filming and didn’t see the full picture. Mindy was the one working flat out looking after our daughter.”
Richard and Mindy are splitting after 28 years together (Image: Getty)
Still, the pair went on to form an incredible bond, with Izzy already becoming interested in the media industry like her dad. And before she was born, Richard “tried to be involved as much as possible” with Mindy’s pregnancy, attending antenatal classes with her and supporting her through a C-section delivery.
Richard said of his relationship with Izzy: “I do trust her judgement and I’m aware that I won’t be the principal man in her life forever. But for as long as I am, it’s great to be mates.”