Richard Hammond's 'tiny divorce cottage' his friends mocked after marriage breakdown

One year on from announcing the end of his marriage, Richard Hammond has opened up about living on a friend's "huge estate" after losing a "chunk of money."

The Top Gear star has already found love with therapist Kiki Glen following his split from his wife of 23 years, Mindy, in 2025.

While some might think a "divorce home" has connotations of sadness, the 56-year-old confessed he is the "happiest I've been" while rebuilding his life at a "tiny little farmhouse" known as 'Camp Farm.'

On the High Performance podcast, he said: "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 [expletive]. 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.'"

Making light of the situation, Richard recalled: "He rented me this beautiful tiny little farmhouse called Camp Farm, which caused some considerable amusement amongst my friends, obviously."

Despite it being "draughty" and lacking in furniture, he said he loved living a simpler life where he could rely on his genuine friendships.

"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's big home renovation

The "tiny" cottage was not his long-term living situation. The presenter set his sights on a Georgian mansion in Llanwenarth, which he purchased for £2 million in November 2025.  

While the property boasts former stables and formal gardens, Richard wanted to undertake renovations to create a large garage for his car collection and a padel court.

However, a survey that found rare bats in the 21-acre grounds has paused his renovation plans.

"If I have to share it with the bats, I'll find a way of sharing it with the bats," he told BBC Wales. "You don't move somewhere as beautiful as this and expect to stamp out everything that already lives there... I'm sure there's room for the bats and me in Abergavenny."

He had previously explained how he came to purchase the home after viewing it five times.

"It's no secret that I got divorced last year, sadly, and I knew I had to move. I saw the house advertised and thought, 'There must be something wrong with that,' but went to have a look at it. I fell head over heels in love with the house," he said.

Speaking of his renovation plans, Richard added: "I'm very lucky in that most of what I'm having to do is just make it fit for my lifestyle rather than repair it. So it could be a long project. It's not going to be finished in a month or two.

"I'll do nothing to change the look of the place. Why would I? You don't buy something beautiful and then deface it."