Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen returns to social media to share photos of her children and a Kate Bush quote – in first post since revealing her split from husband Clive
- Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen recently revealed she’d split from husband
- Since split, Amanda, who normally posts a lot on social media, has been quiet
- However on Father’s Day, she shared photos of her daughters on Twitter
- The post, which quoted Kate Bush did not make any reference to her ex Clive
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen returned to social media to share photos of her daughter on Twitter, following a short hiatus since revealing her split from husband Clive on Instagram last week.
The mother-of-nine, 47, made her first TV appearance alongside her husband, 66, in 2011 on ITV’s The Dales, before they landed their own Channel 5 show Our Yorkshire Farm in 2018.
Since then, she has published five bestselling books, appeared on a host of podcasts and farming shows, and become a regular guest star on morning TV, where she discusses everything from life on the farm, to parenting and marriage.
However, last week, following months of rumours regarding the state of their marriage, Amanda and Clive issued a joint statement on social media saying they had made ‘the difficult decision to separate’.
Since then, Amanda, who is thought to have amassed a fortune of more than £1 million, has been uncharacteristically quiet, in stark contrast to her usual prolific posting schedule, however on Father’s Day, she took to Twitter to share a post, although there was no mention of Clive.
Amanda Owen (pictured) has taken to social media to share a post, following an uncharacteristically quiet week after revealing her split from husband Clive
Amanda’s post, which followed a quiet week online for the reality star, featured images of two of her children, alongside a reference to Kate Bush song Running up that hill
The post followed an uncharacteristically quiet week online for the star, who is usually a prolific poster
The post, which included four photos of two of her daughters, was accompanied by a caption that referenced Kate Bush’s 80s hit Running up that hill, which recently climbed back up the charts to number one.
It said: ‘Running up that hill *& down it too’
Numerous fans commented on the post, noting the star has been absent from social media, with one writing: ‘This is what I’ve missed. Wholesome.’
Another added: ‘Been missing your posts sending love xx.’
And a third wrote: ‘The hills are alive with the sound of little Owens. Have missed your posts hope you are okay.’
The Tweet featured a quote from the number one Kate Bush song Running up that hill, as well as images of two of her nine children
Numerous fans of the reality star took to the post to comment on Amanda’s return to social media, saying they’d missed her posts
Following the split, TV insiders have said Amanda plans to ‘go solo’ having booked in meetings with TV execs and even taken on a PR agency, explaining: ‘This is now her golden opportunity to shine and start earning millions as a solo commodity, through both brand endorsements and a new show.’
Saying there is ‘absolutely no reason’ why she couldn’t carry a series alone, they added: ‘Amanda has everything going for her, likeability, knowledge, beauty, PR nous and, crucially, she’s a natural on camera.’
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen split from her husband of 21 years after ‘growing close to a cameraman’, insiders have claimed (pictured together)
And Amanda, who is thought to have amassed £1million from her media personality, issued a joint statement with Clive on social media earlier this week which said the couple have made ‘the difficult decision to separate’ (pictured earlier this week)
The mother-of-nine, 47, made her first TV appearance alongside her husband, 66, in 2011 on ITV ‘s The Dales, before they landed their own Channel 5 show Our Yorkshire Farm in 2018 (pictured in 2019)
The couple shared a joint statement on social media confirming they had split yesterday
Amanda grew up in a traditional three-bed house with her parents and one sibling in the large market town of Huddersfield.
At 6ft 2in, the blonde was encouraged to follow the same career path as her model mother, but she claimed she hated the clothes and make-up that she had to wear.
She left her comfortable town life to work on farms around the country. She met her husband in 1996 when he was already divorced with two children, after she arrived at his farm as a 21-year-old trainee shepherdess.
Just before Amanda met her husband, his life had been turbulent following the split from his wife of 13 years Greta Watson, with whom he has two grown up children.
Appearing on The Dales in 2011 alongside five of their children, Clive described how the farm was ‘tough’, before explaining how the couple met for the first time.
He said: ‘A friend of mine wanted to borrow a ram, and I said yes he could borrow one. Amanda came to pick it up. And I thought, “Wow.”
The mother-of-nine, 47, made her first TV appearance alongside her husband, 66, in 2011 on ITV’s The Dales (pictured), before they landed their own Channel 5 show Our Yorkshire Farm in 2018
The couple (pictured on their wedding day) met her husband in 1996 when he was already divorced with two children, after she arrived at his farm as a 21-year-old trainee shepherdess
After appearing on the ITV show, the mother-of-nine began giving more media interviews about life as a mother on the farm (pictured left and right in 2014)
‘I eventually persuaded her to give me her telephone number and off we went from there.’
He recalled: ‘I do remember this six-foot-something woman knocked on the door. I was very taken with her. You couldn’t not be.’
Amanda’s rise from farmer to household name
2000 – Clive and Amanda get married
2011 – Clive and Amanda appear in The Dales
Amanda begins making more media appearances, offering interviews about giving birth on the farm and motherhood in remote Yorkshire
2014 – Amanda releases her first book The Yorkshire Shepherdess.
It reached the bestseller top 10 and the film rights were sold
2015 – The family appeared in an episode of New Lives In The Wild UK with Ben Fogle, a Channel 5 programme
2017 – Amanda releases a A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess, promoting the book in the media.
She also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity
2018 – Couple land their own TV show, Our Yorkshire Farm.
It’s an immediate hit, with over three million viewers watching each episode.
2019 – Amanda released a third book Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess and was the subject of Radio 4’s On Your Farm.
Meanwhile she also appeared on the podcast Trees A Crowd with David Oakes.
2020 – Our Yorkshire Farm becomes a runaway hit in lockdown, with millions tuning into each episode on Channel 5
Amanda begins making solo appearances on a variety of TV shows, becoming a regular guest on programmes like Lorraine and This Morning to offer comment on parenting and life on the farm.
2021 – Channel 5 broadcast the first episode of series 14 of Ben Fogle: Return to the Wild, which saw Fogle back at Ravenseat Farm
Meanwhile Owen was featured as one of the four walkers travelling with the BBC’s 360 degree camera, in series two of BBC Four’s Winter Walks.
She also filmed a couple of reports for Live: Winter on the Farm, broadcast on Channel 5 between 6–9 December 2021 and appeared as the featured guest on Radio 4’s The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed with Simon Armitage.
She also released two further books Tales From the Farm and Celebrating The Seasons, both of which she spent time heavily promoting.
November – Neighbours told MailOnline Amanda and Clive had been living apart for months after she ‘got caught up in the spotlight’ of her Channel 5 programme.
She added: ‘It was a slow burn thing we kind of got to know each other. Made friends first then went out a little bit together.’
Meanwhile Amanda said he was ‘perfect husband material’, saying: ‘My kind of fella, like the same sense of humour and type of things. It was just fate.’
It didn’t take long for the couple get hitched, with five children quickly following.
Many of her children help out on the farm when they are not at school – or travelling to and from as the journey takes one-and-a-half hours each way.
‘In order to make a big family work they all need to tow the line. It’s not about child labour – it’s about pulling together,’ Amanda told the Daily Mail in an article in 2018.
With the nearest shop so far away – and the risk during winter that they could be snowed in for weeks – the TV star buys food in bulk, and manages to feed her large family for just £130 a week.
The couple first appeared on TV as regulars on Adrian Edmondson’s 2011 ITV documentary series The Dales alongside the Reverend Ann Chapman, the vicar of four small churches, and a number of other people living in the Yorkshire Dales.
At that point, the Owen family consisted of Amanda, Clive and their five young children.
However the public were quick to fall for the couple and their unusual love story, dubbing them the ‘Kardashians of the Countryside’.
They began making further media appearances and offering interviews to media about their family, with Amanda regularly opening up about life as a mother-of-nine.
In November 2015, the family appeared in an episode of New Lives In The Wild UK with Ben Fogle, a Channel 5 programme which is made by Warner Brothers’ Renegade Pictures.
By this stage, Amanda was picking up her own media appearances, as well as releasing her first book The Yorkshire Shepherdess.
It reached the bestseller top 10 in 2014 and, when the film rights were sold, there was lots of excited chat in Swaledale about possible casting choices.
However at the time, she said: ‘Some people talked about Hollywood. ‘But I’m happy just getting on with my life. Ravenseat is where I want to be. It’s where I belong.’
In 2017, she released a further tome A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess, appearing on BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity.
The popularity of the family led to their own observational documentary series following life on the Owens’ farm on Channel 5 called Our Yorkshire Farm, which started in 2018.
It quickly became a hit, and was one of the channel’s most popular programmes with over three million viewers watching each episode.
By 2019, Amanda was releasing a third book Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess and was the subject of Radio 4’s On Your Farm.
Meanwhile she also appeared on the podcast Trees A Crowd with David Oakes.
Meanwhile Our Yorkshire Farm became an unlikely lockdown hit, proving to be the most-watched programme in a 9pm slot for two weeks in a row in August.
At the time, viewers said the show was the best TV series they had seen in years, with many saying they couldn’t wait for the next series.
The shepherdess began making solo appearances on a variety of TV shows, becoming a regular guest on programmes like Lorraine and This Morning to offer comment on parenting and life on the farm.
In 16 February 2021, Channel 5 broadcast the first episode of series 14 of Ben Fogle: Return to the Wild, which saw Fogle back at Ravenseat Farm after six years, where he met their youngest child Nancy (who was born since his last visit) for the first time.
Meanwhile Owen was featured as one of the four walkers travelling with the BBC’s 360 degree camera, in series two of BBC Four’s Winter Walks, with Owen’s episode featuring a walk through Wensleydale and Raydale.
She also filmed a couple of reports for Live: Winter on the Farm, broadcast on Channel 5 between 6–9 December 2021 and appeared as the featured guest on Radio 4’s The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed with Simon Armitage.
Meanwhile she released two further books Tales From the Farm and Celebrating The Seasons, both of which she spent time heavily promoting.
She began facing criticism from social media critics who urged her to ‘stay true to herself’.
Taking to Twitter, Amanda shared several snaps of herself working on the farm and at a book signing and wrote: ‘Time for a catch up, it has been a super busy time. Been wearing more than a few different hats metaphorically speaking.’
In response, the critic penned: ‘Stay true to yourself people fell in love with your life as you all are, not as a showbiz star.’
The public were quick to fall for the couple and their unusual love story, dubbing them the ‘Kardashians of the Countryside’ (pictured)
Amanda went on to write a number of bestselling books about her experiences on the farm, which she heavily promoted with media appearances (left to right)
However, an unimpressed Amanda hit back: ‘Shearing Sheep driving tractor to make hay to feed Sheep, signing books (about Sheep), public speaking (about Sheep).
‘Serving tea to folk who watch programme & read (about Sheep).’
She also went on to defend her friend Jeremy Clarkson and continued: ‘As @JeremyClarkson has highlighted until food production, countryside management is valued we do what pays the bills.’
Meanwhile she also opened up in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine about her experiences of being famous and said that she had found it ‘invasive’.
She said she struggled with people asking for her picture when she was out and about.
She revealed hundreds of people come each day to her farm and use the cafe there – adding Our Yorkshire Farm is so popular because the farm is real.
She said: ‘Hundreds come past each day. Sometimes it can be more tiring smiling than shovelling s***. There is a time when I’d like to shut the door and say, ‘This is my life, this is my time.’ And that’s got quite difficult.’
The popularity of the family led to their own observational documentary series following life on the Owens’ farm on Channel 5 called Our Yorkshire Farm, which started in 2018
The shepherdess began making solo appearances on a variety of TV shows, becoming a regular guest on programmes like Lorraine and This Morning to offer comment on parenting and life on the farm (pictured in a photoshoot at the farm)
She admitted Mr Owen and her capitalise on the visitors coming to their farm in order to run the cafe they have opened on site.
But she added she found it difficult that she now has people to answer to, and that people sometimes take her picture or record her while she is working on her farm.
‘Of course it’s invasive. People know where we live and they can arrive there — but that’s the unique selling point, that the farm is real,’ she said.
The Firs: Amanda Owen’s holiday home she is thought to be staying in
Amanda Owen’s website the Yorkshire Shepherdess advertises a stunning stay in the Dales in their holiday home.
The Firs, a six-bedroom farmhouse, looks out over five acres of meadows and pasture.
It has two king sized rooms, one double, a single, a triple bunk and a single bunk.
It is accessed by a private road behind three gates and dates back to at least the seventeenth century.
It has a number of original features, including stone flagged floors, beamed ceilings, whitewashed walls and a traditional black Yorkshire range.
It has a cosy living room in front of a roaring fire as well as a traditional farmhouse kitchen with a table for eight people.
It also includes a microwave, fridge freezer and toaster, utility room with washer and tumble drier and a TV in the living room with sound bar.
But for visitors it has no phone connection, with guests advised to travel 15 minutes to Kirkby Stephen to get a connection.
The cottage has not available to book during the coronavirus pandemic.
A notice at the top of the advert says: ‘We are not taking bookings until further notice and visits to Ravenseat are postponed until Spring.’
Mr and Mrs Owen also rent out a shepherd’s hut on their land, which is near the farmyard on their land.
The website says: ‘In a sheltered setting down by the river, it’s your chance to enjoy the stunning Swaledale countryside in traditional style.’
It adds: ‘On warm summer evenings, you can relax outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery, whiling away the evening with your toes in the river. If it’s wet, windy and wild, retreat inside the hut and relax, you’ll be toasty warm beside the wood-burning stove.’
But again there is no WIFI or internet access or phone signal in the area. And it is also off limits due to the pandemic.
Mrs Owen, who wrote several books about life on the farm – the latest one, on seasonal living – said it is a ‘vicious circle,’ and she could not stop writing about it because the material is there.
She added her nine children, aged 20 to five, have not been affected by fame and have not receive any negative comment.
She said the show, books and the publicity surrounding a farm was all a way to finance her children’s future. She added she had never employed childcare, because it would have proved more stressful for her than convenient.
Meanwhile she offered another interview in which she said ‘romance’ is not in her and Clive’s ‘make-up.’
When asked if she and her husband are romantic, the shepherdess told OK! magazine: ‘I don’t think either of us are! I don’t think it’s in our make-up.’
The shepherdess went on to reveal what she believes to be the secret to her 21-year marriage.
‘Everything we do is interchangeable,’ she said. ‘Clive will serve afternoon tea and change nappies, I’ll shear sheep and shovel s**t. It doesn’t matter who does what, we’re all on the same side.’
Amanda praised Clive for being a ‘hands-on’ dad, adding that ‘at certain times of year, it’s all hands on deck and all tasks on the farm are interchangeable.
There’s no one hat for any one person and I think that’s a great life lesson.’
However by November, neighbours told MailOnline the pair had been living apart for months after she ‘got caught up in the spotlight’ of her Channel 5 programme.
Amanda moved into their rental property down the road from Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale, where Mr Owen has been staying in the farmhouse, villagers said.
The couple, known as the ‘Kardashians of the Countryside’, were said to be ‘battling to save their marriage’ after more than 21 years.
Mr Owen was understood to be ‘desperate’ to repair their relationship and ‘fears’ their marriage will end in divorce.
It was feared they had recently started living apart but their neighbours claim it was common knowledge for months.
One, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline: ‘She moved out months ago and ended up down the road in another house.
‘It’s no surprise really, when you have mixed families like that there’s bound to be a falling out. She’s got caught up in her career in the spotlight and got caught up in all the attention we think.
‘Every time I saw her on the television I thought who’s looking after all those kids and animals, I’m guessing it was Clive.
‘Some here think their life is all pretend for the camera. How can they plead poverty on the telly but go around in the clothes they do. The kids wear Joules wellies and you just don’t get that on a poor farmer’s income.
‘A lot of people who know farming know she can’t be out sorting the sheep with all the bangles and clothes she wears. It’s all for show.’
They added: ‘They’ve been apart for months. Most people around here know it’s been a few months but we don’t really know the details because we’re not interested.’
Another source close to the couple said: ‘There have been rumours around the Dale that all’s not been as good as it could be, but only Clive and Amanda know the real story.
‘Folk think well of them, most people up here have known Clive for years and years, he’s a popular and well respected man in the farming community and he has a lot of good friends.
‘If they’re having problems they won’t have to look far for support if it’s needed.’
The Yorkshire Shepherdess began sharing more glamorous snaps of herself on her Instagram page, often dolled up in makeup and with jeweled earings
Meanwhile the mother-of-nine became a regular on programmes like This Morning and Lorraine, where she would often give comment on parenting
A family friend told the Sun: ‘It’s incredibly sad. Amanda and Clive are two hugely popular figures here in the Dales, and no one saw this coming.
‘Clive loves Amanda to bits and adores her, and fears the marriage may be failing even though he desperately doesn’t want it to. He fears they will divorce.
‘He reckons the image of them playing happy families is a load of rubbish. He thinks this will be the last series they film together, and now it’s about looking after the kids and putting them first.’
The insider said Mr Owen wanted his wife to stay for Christmas but added the decision was ‘very much in Amanda’s hands’.
At the time, in a joint statement given to MailOnline, Mr and Mrs Owen said: ‘With the TV show and the books we’ve always aimed to show the reality of life on the farm, and just like any marriage we have our stresses and strains, coupled with all the complexities of what we do on the farm and bringing up nine kids.
‘We’re a normal family, and we’ve never said our marriage is perfect.’
They added they were going through a ‘rocky patch’ in their marriage.
Last year, 66-year-old Clive (L) was said to be ‘desperate’ to repair their relationship and ‘fears’ their marriage will result in divorce
Meanwhile Amanda continued to give media interviews saying that she ‘didn’t regret’ inviting the public into her life through Our Yorkshire Farm – despite reports her fame left her marriage on the rocks.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Amanda said she doesn’t regret taking part in the show, saying: ‘We are just a normal family dealing with everything life throws at us and the programme is life as it’s happening, whether there’s someone filming it or not and that’s what keeps everybody grounded.’
She continued: ‘It is hard work being a farmer and I will do everything it takes to provide for my family and that means having a lot of fingers in a lot of pies in order to make a living – you are damned if you do and you are damned if you don’t.’
Earlier this week, the couple released a shocking statement confirming they had split.
The statement read: ‘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 added that they would like to thank everyone for their support and asked for privacy as they ‘work through this difficult time’.
Pictured: Amanda Owen and husband Clive with eight of their nine children in North Yorkshire
The news left fans of the wholesome show dismayed but it was no surprise to friends of the Owens.
A source close to Clive and Amanda said: ‘It’s really sad for both of them that it’s come to this, especially with such a large family and some of them so young.
‘It’s been an open secret across the dale for a long time that they have been having problems and have been living apart.
‘Amanda has been living in their holiday let, a cottage just under a mile away from Ravenseat and Clive has been staying at the farm where he’s always been.’
But the couple’s relationship won’t be over just because of their split – because of their complex domestic and business circumstances, they revealed.
‘The problem they’re going to have is that this won’t be a divorce in the normal sense of the word where two people can go their separate ways,’ the source explained.
‘They have nine children, the youngest is only around four and five of them are under the age of 10, still at primary school.
‘But you have to add in to that the fact they are running a big hill farm with a flock of sheep scattered all over the dale.
‘It’s hard work and what they do on TV isn’t just for show, they’re both working day in, day out to make their business work.
‘That means Amanda is at Ravenseat every day, so the question people are asking is ‘how will they both move on with their lives from here?’
‘It’s hard to imagine how either of them could begin a new relationship with the ex husband or wife being part of their every day lives. It’s a very difficult situation.
‘Clive is a very well liked and respected man in this part of the world, he’s lived here all his life and Amanda has become part of Dales life as well.
‘Their friends and neighbours are sad for the whole family.’
Amanda didn’t even tell her own mother that she was having marital issues, which left Joyce Livingstone in the dark.
She said she was ‘gobsmacked’ when she first heard the couple were going through a rough patch, having been married for 22 years.
Speaking exclusively to the Mail this week, a source close to the family said that the decision to separate actually came around a year-and-a-half ago.
‘Obviously this has just come out but it has been going on for years behind closed doors,’ said the source.
‘They separated 18 months ago. It wouldn’t have been Clive’s choice but I think he’s at a point where he’s accepted the break-up now. They are sharing the care of the kids so still see each other regularly. He does most of the work on the farm and, I think, now he’s come to terms with the separation he just wants to get on with his life.’
Next month, she will embark on her first major solo project without her husband, joining Gary Lineker as a guest chef at a pop-up restaurant at this year’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk where, she says, Ravenseat lamb will feature heavily in her summer menu.
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