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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Hana Carter

Inside Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen's turbulent year - break up to new start

Our Yorkshire Farm has been warming our hearts since it made its debut on Channel 5 in 2018.

Amanda Owen and husband Clive along with their nine children inspired millions of viewers to embrace the great outdoors in what became the network's most successful programmes.

However, after five seasons, the show will be coming to an end – leaving viewers gutted.

The main factor behind this decision was the breakdown of Amanda and Clive's 22-year marriage, which was speculated over before the couple confirmed their decision to split.

Daniel Pearl, Commissioning Editor for Factual at Channel 5, explained: “The Owens have become everyone’s favourite farming family and millions have enjoyed watching their unique way of life.

Amanda and Clive Owen broke the news that they were separating (ANL/REX/Shutterstock)

”We remain absolutely committed to the whole wonderful Owen family and hope to announce new projects with Amanda very soon.”

We take a look behind the scenes of the iconic British programme and what the family plan on doing next.

Amanda's call from social services

In June this year Amanda admitted that her unique parenting style sparked a call from social services.

The mother-of-nine has previously defended her methods after she and Clive were accused of 'breeding their own workforce'.

Speaking at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Wales, Amanda opened up about her brush with the law and said she 'didn't see herself as the perfect parent' but stood up for her family.

"I don't see myself as a perfect parent," she said. "I got a yellow flag from social services... I believe there is a happy medium whereby you do let the kids climb trees.

"Yes, they haven't got harnesses on or hard hats, but I believe there are some lessons to be learned that don't necessarily result in instant death but actually learn your own parameters."

Amanda and Clive's split

Amanda, 47 and Clive, 68 shocked fans by announcing that they were splitting after 22 years of marriage.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess broke the news to her 517,000 followers on Instagram.

Amanda and Clive were together for 22 years (Renegade Pictures)

A statement from the pair read: “Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate.

“This hasn’t been easy, but we both believe it’s the right choice for the future of our family.

“Although we are no longer a couple, we continue to work on the farm and co-parent together, with our number one priority the happiness and well-being of our children.

The couple have nine children together (Channel 5)

“We would like to thank everyone for their support and would ask the media please respect our privacy as we work through this difficult time.”

The couple met in 1995 when Amanda was asked to visit Clive's Ravenseat Farm in North Yorkshire when she first started out as a shepherdess.

He was running the farm alone after his first divorce when Amanda walked into his life.

Six of the children were born on the farm as it's too far away from a hospital (Instagram/ @yorkshireshepherdess)

She was just 21 years old at the time, and he was 42.

It was love at first sight for Clive, who spoke of their meeting during an episode of Our Yorkshire Farm.

“I do remember this six-foot something woman knocked at the door – I was very taken with her. You couldn’t not be,” he recalled.

(ANL/REX/Shutterstock)

For Amanda, the love was less of a whirlwind as she previously explained: “It was a slow burn thing. We kind of got to know each other. We made friends first then went out a little bit together.

“With us both coming from non-farming backgrounds we were kind of peas in a pod really but we didn't know that at the time.“

Amanda and Clive's children

The couple have always had plenty of help on their farm, with many viewers praising them for raising such hands-on children.

The nine kids helped their parents with the animals as well as helping around the house.

The children help their parents out on the farm (Twitter/ @AmandaOwen8)
Viewers loved watching the children interact with the animals (Twitter/ @AmandaOwen8)

Clive shared Raven, 21, and Reuben, 18, with his first wife.

Just five years after meeting, Amanda and Clive got married in 2000 and welcomed Miles, 16; Edith, 13; Violet, 11; Sidney, 10; Anna, eight; Clemmie, six, and Nancy, five.

Raven is now at university and Reuben is studying to be a mechanic.

Most of their children were born on the farm, because it's so remote there wasn't enough time to get to a hospital.

The children featured on the show and were often seen looking after the animals (Twitter/ @AmandaOwen8)

None of their children have said anything directly about their parents split.

After the news broke Raven took to Instagram where she shared snaps from November.

"November = busy. A graduation, work and a psoriasis flare up, nothing much else to report," she captioned the photos – not mentioning the separation.

Our Yorkshire Farm ran for five seasons (Twitter/ @AmandaOwen8)

New ventures

Even though Our Yorkshire Farm has come to an end, Amanda and Clive have announced new projects that they are working on.

Amanda is preparing to travel across the UK to meet with other farmers and learn about their inspirational stories.

The six-part show called Amanda Owen's Extraordinary Farming Lives will feature on Channel 4.

Eldest children Raven and Reuben have left the farm to study (Instagram/ @yorkshireshepherdess)

Speaking about her new show, Amanda said: "This series will show what life’s really like for farmers in 2022. To the outside world, it might seem like some farmers have it made, with large plots of land and expensive machinery but, as ever, the truth is much more complex.

"I want to explore just what it means to be a farmer today, in a world where so much more is expected of us than ‘just’ being food providers. Along the way I know I’m going to meet some extraordinary, dedicated people and hear some incredible stories in the most beautiful of settings.”

Clive and his son Reuben will be starring in their own spin-off show on Channel 5 after the pair of them went into business together.

Clive and Reuben will be starring in their own spin off show (Channel 5)

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The new series will be named "Beyond the Yorkshire Farm" and will follow the father and son as they navigate their own venture.

While it's unlikely that Amanda will make an appearance, Reuben's best friend Tom and his girlfriend Sarah will become familiar faces on the show.

It's not yet been confirmed whether any of Reuben's siblings will feature on the show.

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