The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond has revealed his father Alan has died.
The 55-year-old announced the devastating news on a recent episode of his podcast Who We Are Now, which he hosts with his daughter Izzy Hammond.
The presenter shared his “tremendous grief” and said he’s often hit with a pang of loss when he remembers he can’t speak to his dad anymore.
Hammond discussed his heartbreak while talking to Izzy and psychiatrist Dr T Richard about connection, loss, and relationships.
“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 said.
“And so we are, probably, both of us, Iz, are undergoing change right now – is that changing us?”
The Top Gear star and Dr Richard then discussed how bereavement can alter a person’s brain and way of thinking.
“For instance, I’ve noticed that since we lost my dad I don’t wander around daily in a cloud of… there was tremendous grief, of course there was, he was my dad, but it’s kind of in the background,” the broadcaster said.
“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…
“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.”
Alan Hammond was a legal executive before becoming an author.
The tragic loss comes just weeks after Hammond announced his split from his wife Mindy.
“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,” they wrote on X last month.
“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.”
The couple shares daughters Izzy and Willow.
