Richard Hammond has opened up about the “tremendous grief” he is facing after the loss of his father, Alan Hammond.
The revelation comes amid the recent news that the TV presenter and his wife of 28 years, Mindy Hammond, began their separation at the beginning of January.
On his podcast ‘Who We Are Now’, which he co-hosts with his daughter Izzy Hammond, Richard spoke openly about his dad’s passing for the first time while talking to their guest, renowned clinical psychiatrist Dr T.
He said: “I have to say quite early on that since we spoke to Professor Green – because that’s this week’s episode, but we recorded it a little while back – since then, we’ve lost my father, Izzy’s grandfather, he died.”
Asking Dr T about the effects of such a personal change, Richard inquired, “And so we are, probably, both of us, Iz, are undergoing change right now – is that changing us? ”
Dr T offered his condolences before explaining that loss is a common experience, “Firstly, I’m sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing and it’s so helpful, I guess, to hear because it’s so relatable.”
“Loss is something that we have experienced, are experiencing right now, or are going to experience in the near future, it’s a very common part of life,” Dr T remarked, a concept with which Richard agreed.
The psychiatrist discussed the agony of grief, explaining, “And it’s painful because when we have someone, or something, in our life that we love, cherish, that’s important to us, that we’re used to, it forms part of the Neurocircuitry in our brain, but also our sense of self.”
He outlined how bereavement changes one’s mind due to the profound frustration and yearning it brings about.
“When you go through a bereavement, your brain goes through a highly motivated state, because you would think that you would crash, but what happens is that when something that means a lot to us is removed, we want it back,” he told the Express.
Dr T highlighted the emotional distress, adding, “And it’s that frustrating moment of, ‘I want you to be back here, I want that person to be back here, I want that pet to be back here – and they’re not.'”
In relaying an experience Richard could relate to following his own grief, Dr T shared: “So, this level of frustration is painful to the extent that sometimes when our phone rings, we think it’s them, and when you’re thinking about them, you think, where are they right now? ”
Upon hearing this, Richard revealed further thoughts on his loss, commenting, “That’s interesting, because it’s your brain doing stuff that you only experience through emotions and sensations that it triggers.”
Richard opened up about the persistent, sometimes subtle influence that grief has had on his daily life following his father’s passing.
He detailed how the pang of sorrow can often strike at unforeseen moments, stating: “And when it hits me is when I’m pottering about doing something often inconsequential, or thinking about something big, my brain has already formed the thought, ‘oh, I must tell dad’ and I only sort of get…”
Continuing to describe the experience, he added, “You know when you’re turning a thought into language? So the thought is there, and then I form it into words so I can communicate to myself and to the world, and it gets as far as, ‘oh I must tell… oh,’ and it’s not a big crashing emotion, but it’s a definite sense, it’s a reminder, and that’s the brain doing what you just described.”
Amidst this period of personal tumult, which included the death of his father and his separation from Mindy, the mother of their daughters Izzy, 24, and Willow, 22, Richard has remained resilient.
He and Mindy, now estranged, released a joint statement shared on social media regarding their familial situation, announcing: “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.”