Junior Rasmussen
Richard Hammond, the Top Gear and Grand Tour star, has had a few incidents with his wedding ring. In one instance, he lost his wedding ring after falling from a hard patch during an episode of Top Gear. In another instance, Hammond suffered a brain injury in a car crash while filming Top Gear in 2006, causing him to forget that he was married. After the crash, he tried to chat up his own wife, believing that his wife was French. Despite these incidents, Hammond was still seen wearing his wedding ring in a recent YouTube video, even after his split from his wife, Mindy, in 2025.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Richard Hammond |
| Incident | Richard Hammond lost his wedding ring in series 16 episode 5 of Top Gear |
| Crash | Richard Hammond suffered a brain injury in a crash while filming Top Gear in 2006 |
| Memory Loss | Richard Hammond experienced memory loss and did not recognise his wife after the crash |
| Recovery | Richard Hammond recovered from the accident and reconciled with his wife |
| Split | Richard and Mindy Hammond announced their split after 28 years of marriage |
| Wedding Ring | Richard Hammond was seen wearing his wedding ring after the split |
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What You'll Learn
- Richard Hammond forgot he was married after a crash
- Hammond lost his wedding ring in series 16 episode 5 of Top Gear
- Hammond and his wife, Mindy, announced their split after 28 years of marriage
- Hammond suffered a brain injury so severe he didn't recognise his wife
- Hammond's personality changed after the crash, and he became prone to mood swings and depression
Richard Hammond forgot he was married after a crash
Richard Hammond suffered a brain injury so severe that he did not recognise his own wife after a Top Gear crash in 2006. The TV presenter, nicknamed "The Hamster", thought his wife Mindy was French and tried to chat her up. He told Jonathan Ross:
> "I didn't forget Mindy, I fancied her – thank God – I attempted to chat her up."
Mindy Hammond, who co-wrote her husband's book On The Edge: My Story, which documents life before and after the crash, said:
> "He didn't believe we were married. He said, 'You're lovely, but I've got to stop talking to you because I've got to go back to my wife, she's French'."
Hammond said of his recovery: "It was a big event, it's a long old journey. You get to the end of each week and realise you weren't actually better, and it goes on and on. Whole periods have just gone. I had a 22-second memory, very confusing for weeks (but) I can daydream now, it's all fixed."
Mindy said her husband's brain injury did affect their marriage but that she was always careful not to tell him that he loved her or pressure him into thinking so. She knew his brain had to "reset" after the injury, but that she'd accepted it would be his choice if he decided he no longer wanted their marriage to continue.
The couple, who married in 2002, announced their split in 2025 after 28 years of marriage. They have two daughters together: Isabella and Willow.
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Hammond lost his wedding ring in series 16 episode 5 of Top Gear
Richard Hammond is a presenter on Top Gear. In series 16, episode 5, Hammond fell after his co-presenter, James, hit a hard patch, causing Hammond to fall. During this scene, Hammond says that he lost his wedding ring.
It is unclear whether Hammond actually lost his wedding ring or if it was a joke written into the episode. One Reddit user pointed out that Hammond appeared to be wearing gloves for the majority of the episode, except for the part where he says he lost his ring. This could indicate that the scene was staged.
In 2007, Hammond suffered a serious crash while filming for Top Gear, which left him with post-traumatic amnesia and a five-second memory. In the aftermath of the crash, Hammond forgot he was married and tried to chat up his own wife, Mindy. He later admitted that he had no memory of the interview where he discussed the crash and his recovery.
Hammond's crash and subsequent amnesia were a significant event in his life, and it appears that the loss of his wedding ring in series 16, episode 5 of Top Gear may have been a joke or a staged scene rather than a genuine incident.
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Hammond and his wife, Mindy, announced their split after 28 years of marriage
Richard Hammond and his wife, Mindy, announced their split after 28 years of marriage. The couple, who married in 2002, share two daughters, Isabella and Willow. In a statement, they shared that they were both positive about the decision, with Mindy saying that she believed Richard had become a better person since his accident and that he was now more patient and self-aware.
Hammond has had a history of brain injuries that have impacted his memory and recognition. In 2006, he suffered a brain injury in a crash while filming for Top Gear. Following the accident, Hammond did not recognize his wife and tried to chat her up, believing that his wife was French. Mindy Hammond recalled that her husband looked at her and said, "You're lovely, but you're not my wife". She also noted that his memory loss was not short-term, and he struggled to retain information for more than 10 seconds.
In a recent YouTube video, Hammond was seen still wearing his wedding ring, sparking speculation about the reason behind it. Relationship experts weighed in on the matter, suggesting that people keep wearing their wedding rings post-divorce for various reasons, such as habit or a sign of holding onto hope for reconciliation.
The announcement of the split came as a shock to fans, and it is unknown whether Mindy is also still wearing her wedding ring as she tends to stay away from the limelight.
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Hammond suffered a brain injury so severe he didn't recognise his wife
Richard Hammond suffered a brain injury so severe that he didn't recognise his wife, Mindy, after a crash during filming for *Top Gear* in 2006. Mindy, who had married Hammond four years earlier, rushed to the hospital to be by his side, but he did not recognise her at all. He thought he was married to a French woman and tried to chat her up, saying, "You're lovely, but I've got to stop talking to you because I've got to go back to my wife. She's French."
Mindy Hammond recalled the incident, saying, "It was disconcerting when, early after the crash, Richard looked at me from his hospital bed and said, 'You're lovely, but you're not my wife'. When I corrected him, he responded, 'No, you're not my wife, my wife is French'". She also noted that her husband didn't seem capable of retaining any information for more than 10 seconds. For example, he would read the same page of the newspaper over and over again and his conversations would become circular as he repeated the same sentences.
Hammond himself reflected on his recovery, stating, "It was a big event, it's a long old journey. You get to the end of each week and realise you weren't actually better, and it goes on and on. Whole periods have just gone. I had a 22-second memory, very confusing for weeks (but) I can daydream now, it's all fixed."
Mindy acknowledged that her husband's brain injury affected their marriage. She knew his brain had to "reset" after the injury and accepted that it would be his choice if he no longer wanted their marriage to continue. She also observed changes in his personality, with Hammond becoming prone to mood swings and depression. Despite the challenges, the couple rekindled their romance, falling in love all over again. Mindy believes that in some ways, Hammond is now a better person. She says he has become "more patient" and "self-aware" and that he finds it easier to concentrate on tasks.
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Hammond's personality changed after the crash, and he became prone to mood swings and depression
Richard Hammond suffered a brain injury in a car crash while filming for Top Gear in 2006. The injury was so severe that he did not recognize his wife, Mindy Hammond, and even tried to chat her up, believing her to be French. Mindy Hammond said:
> It was disconcerting when, early after the crash, Richard looked at me from his hospital bed and said, 'You're lovely, but you're not my wife'. When I corrected him, he responded, 'No, you're not my wife, my wife is French'.
> He'd read the same page of the newspaper over and over again and that his conversations would go round in circles as he repeated the same sentences.
Despite the challenges, the couple rekindled their romance, falling in love all over again. Mindy believes that in some ways, Hammond is now a better person. She says he has become "more patient" and "self-aware" and that he now finds it much easier to concentrate on a task.
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Frequently asked questions
Richard Hammond did lose his wedding ring after falling when James hit a hard patch. It is unclear if he found it.
Yes, Richard Hammond forgot he was married after his 315mph crash. He tried to chat up his wife, Mindy, thinking she was French.
Yes, Richard and Mindy Hammond divorced in January 2025 after 28 years of marriage.
Yes, Richard Hammond suffered a brain injury after his crash in 2006. He did not recognize his wife, Mindy, and thought he was married to a French woman.
Yes, Richard and Mindy Hammond have two daughters, Isabella and Willow.
