Richard Hammond reveals Top Gear crash memory loss fears

Richard Hammond was nearly killed in a crash near York in 2006

Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond has said he fears his worsening memory could be linked to his 2006 crash.

Hammond suffered serious head injuries in the crash, which happened while he was filming at a site near York.

He told The Diary Of A CEO podcast his working memory was good but he worries about his long-term memory, which was "not brilliant".

The TV presenter, 53, added he was "too scared" to get checked for conditions that might have such an effect.

Richard Hammond spent a fortnight in a coma in 2006 after the crash

Hammond crashed a jet-powered dragster called Vampire at nearly 320mph (515kmph) while filming for Top Gear at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York.

He recovered and returned to the show in early 2007.

Speaking to podcast host Steven Bartlett he said his injuries "could mean there is an increased risk" of a condition linked to memory loss.

"I have to consciously write memories down and work hard to recall them sometimes. It might be because I'm 53, it might be because I'm working a lot and I'm tired, it might be the onset of something else," he explained.

Hammond did not directly refer to early onset dementia but said he "probably needs an MRI scan".

But he added he was "quite forgetful" as a person, "so I do drop the ball - I forget stuff, I forget keys".

"That's just me, that's not a function of something going wrong. It's how I am," he said.