Richard Hammond says living in a rented 'divorce' cottage was the 'happiest he's been in years' following split from wife Mindy - before finding love again with therapist

Richard Hammond has detailed the blissful period following the end of his marriage before finding love again in a candid new interview.

The former Top Gear presenter, 56, was speaking on the High Performance podcast on Thursday when he opened up about the time of significant transition.

Richard split from his wife of 23 years Mindy last year and has since begun a new relationship with therapist Kiki Glen.    

He has now said on the podcast: 'In the last two years I lost my father, my dog, my marriage, my house, most of the chunk of the money I earned from The Grand Tour. 

'And I don't give a s**t. The happiest I've been in years was living in a rented cottage, my divorce cottage.

'I loved it. I rang a mate of mine who runs a big estate. Sometimes a chap needs to no longer live where he lives quite suddenly. He owns this huge estate and he said 'I've got just the place for you'.

'He rented me this beautiful tiny little farmhouse called Camp Farm, which caused some considerable amusement amongst my friends, obviously.

'I lived there for like a year. I bl**dy loved it. No furniture really to speak of bits and pieces. Bit draughty in winter. But when friends came over, they came over to see me. Not the house, not the collection of cars – because that'd all gone.

'I would cook a Sunday roast for like 14 of us and have to bring the outside table in and move all the furniture to get everyone in. And it was just, I loved it. Absolutely adored it. Very, very happy times.'

Richard and his new girlfriend went public with their romance back in June and last month he broke his silence on finding love again. 

The new romance came eight months after Richard and his wife of 23 years, Mindy, announced they had split. 

In an interview with The Times, the former Top Gear star spoke about his love and newfound happiness after they were spotted outside Waitrose together. 

He said: 'It's the best thing that's going on for me. I played golf three times this week. I've taken up more serious running, and I'm going to have a go at a small triathlon next year. Which means I've had to take up wild swimming. 

'My partner took one look at the lake, clapped her hands and said, 'Oh, darling, doesn't it just make you want to get in?' No, I spent 40 years avoiding it, I said.

'But sure enough, the next day, both of us are in wetsuits, swimming. And I absolutely loved it.'

Her full name is Keira Glen, but 'everyone calls her Kiki'. 

She's a governor of Headington Rye school in Oxford and a therapist. The divorcée has two daughters, aged 26 and 24, nearly identical in age to Hammond's daughters: Izzy, 26, and Willow, 23. 

Following his break-up from Mindy, Richard moved out of Bollitree Castle, near Ross-on-Wye and he 'moved to the middle of nowhere' where he lived in the rental for a while. He then started a new life in Wales.

It's been a tough few years for Richard. He was understandably affected by being with his father in the final weeks of his life at St Michael's Hospice in 2024. 

Despite their divorce, Richard and Mindy appeared civil at their daughter Willow's graduation from Hartpury University in Gloucester after splitting.

The pair said last year they had an 'amazing' relationship with 'two incredible daughters', adding they would 'always be in each other's lives and are proud of the family we created'.

In 2025, Richard told the Daily Mail he had a 'year from hell', including the 'devastating' collapse of his marriage.

His relationship with Mindy had become increasingly strained in recent years due to injuries sustained in two near-fatal car crashes.

And she had previously warned him he was on his 'last chance', eight years before the couple announced their marriage was over.

In 2006, he was hospitalised after crashing a Vampire Dragster at a speed in excess of 200 miles per hour and was put into a coma while filming a segment for Top Gear.

Eleven years later on the second season of The Grand Tour, he crashed a Rimac Concept One at a hill-climb in Switzerland, rolling the car several times and fracturing his knee.

An insider previously said: 'Richard has been through an awful lot and the knock-on effect from the crashes has impacted his relationship.

'It's understandable given the sheer magnitude of the accidents and the impact caused both physically and mentally, he's done so well to recover and get back to normal life.

'But they have changed him, there's no getting away from it, and his relationship with Mindy has been harmed during the fallout.'

Announcing the divorce in January 2025, he said: '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 an 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. With Love, Richard and Mindy.'