He described his wife Mindy, 36, as "a rock", adding that she had kept calm despite all the pressures of the situation.

It was seeing his daughters Izzy, six, and Willow, three, that caused him the most heartache.

He tells of seeing Izzy’s eyes full of tears as she and her sister left the hospital, adding: "The lift was next to the ward reception and I’d be stood there, my eyes filling up and people looking at me and all I could do was try to smile.

"But inside I was in bits, knowing my poor little girl was so terribly upset."

Richard could be ’back to old self’ soon - Sept 28, 2020
Richard Hammond’s consultant neurosurgeon today predicted the TV star could be "back to his old self" within six months.

Stuart Ross was speaking after the Top Gear presenter was airlifted from Leeds General Infirmary, where he had been treated for eight days following his high speed crash in a jet-powered dragster.

The surgeon said: "He has had what I have already termed a significant brain injury.

"There is no getting around that."

But Mr Ross said his patient was "doing well".

And he added: "There comes a period now which is unfortunately slow and is difficult to get through. But there comes a period when he has to get over the injury.

"He has to rest and allow his brain to recover and that takes time. I’m sure that once that period is over he will be back to his old self."

Asked when that might be, Mr Ross said "in about six months’ time."

The neurologist went on to thank the staff at Leeds General Infirmary for their "skill and dedication" in getting Hammond to this stage.

He said the star was fortunate that the accident happened within a short distance of the hospital, which had specialist equipment and staff to help.

Mr Ross said he was "very optimistic" that the presenter would make a full recovery and the next stage was to support the brain so he could restore his normal thought processes.

Hammond donations overwhelm charity - Sept 24, 2020
Fans of Top Gear’s Richard Hammond have raised so much cash for an air ambulance charity in the wake of his high-speed dragster crash that he could end up with a new helicopter named after him, it has emerged.

As the presenter continues his remarkable recovery in hospital, an appeal for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has now broken through the £140,000 barrier following a flurry of donations.

One person even left a single donation of £50,000.

The appeal was set up by contributors to an internet forum based at online motoring magazine PistonHeads.com and initially only expected to raise a few thousand pounds.

But now YAA’s chief executive, Martin Eedes, said so much money had been raised that it would use the donations to help buy a second helicopter for the service.

He said on the appeal website: "YAA will be designating Richard’s fans’ donations for "Hammy’s Heli" so that we can expand our work and advance our plans for a second helicopter."

Mr Eede said there had always been a long term plan to buy a second helicopter for Yorkshire, but this strategy was now being "brought forward" because of the success of the appeal.

He said: "We thought this was the right way to mark the response from fans of Richard Hammond."

However, he added that those wishing to donate to the appeal should also search for their local air ambulance charity and "support them too".