Jeremy Clarkson and Piers Morgan have had a complicated relationship over the years, but it all changed when the Top Gear host punched the TV presenter in the head during a heated row
Outspoken broadcaster Piers Morgan has revealed how Jeremy Clarkson once struck him in the head following a dispute over photographs Morgan chose to publish.
Clarkson, who was married to his second wife Frances Cain when the incident occurred in 2004, is said to have requested that the then-Daily Mirror editor refrain from publishing images of the presenter with a woman who was not his spouse. However, Morgan went ahead with publication regardless.
The situation escalated when both Morgan and Clarkson attended the British Press Awards.
In his new book, Woke Is Dead, Morgan wrote: “He ended up punching me before we settled things at the British Press Awards.
“I’ve still got the scar on my forehead, and it wasn’t entirely unjustified, so I have no complaints about it, although I did think he had a very weak punch, and he did break his finger hitting my head, which is quite satisfying,” reports Wales Online.
Morgan reveals that he and the Clarkson’s Farm presenter have since managed to reconcile their differences, though he acknowledges they will never become close friends.
He added: “But he contacted me out of the blue and said: ‘Morgan, Clarkson here, drink?’ We met in my local pub and actually had a great night.
“We got his daughter and one of my sons to act as the official peace treaty ratifiers and peace in our time was agreed.
“I mean, we’re never going to be best buddies, but we now tolerate each other’s existence without wanting to punch each other, which I think is a major step forward.”
Clarkson has previously commented on the dramatic incident that occurred over two decades ago.
In a 2022 column for The Times, he wrote: “‘Why’s your f****** wife looking at me like that?’ he [Piers Morgan] thundered.
“So I punched him. And then I punched him again. And then I thought: ‘You know what? I don’t think this would ever get boring.’ So I punched him again. And, annoyingly, broke my finger.”
This follows Jeremy Clarkson’s admission of feeling “old and broken” as he continues to share his trials and tribulations with Diddly Squat farm.
The former Top Gear host frequently shares updates from his transition into farming – a journey he embarked upon six years ago, leading to a highly successful Amazon Prime series.
“Since I started in the fields six years ago, I’ve realised that farming is ideal for those who don’t like to work up a sweat,” Jeremy elucidates. “Only mattress testers have an easier, more sedentary life.”
Among Jeremy’s various pieces of farm machinery, his Supacat stands out – a six-wheel drive, semi-amphibious military vehicle that he uses for collecting wood from the forest.
Supacats were originally designed to “recover broken Land Rovers from the battlefield,” Jeremy notes, so there’s no doubt about the Devon-made vehicle’s capability to function in challenging conditions. However, there’s a snag.
Writing in the Sunday Times, he adds: “But it is quite difficult to get in and out of if you are old and broken.”
