Amanda Owen: what has Our Yorkshire Farm star said in latest public message since split with husband Clive?

Amanda Owen and her husband Clive, who appear on Our Yorkshire Farm, have announced their separation.

The couple, who have been married for 22 years and have nine children, became famous after their life on Ravenseat Farm was featured on Channel 5.

Despite their breakup, they will continue to co-parent and work on the farm together.

Amanda, who tends to post regularly from her Instagram account, had been quiet of late before publishing two pictures on Father’s Day with one of the captions reading “Running Up That Hill” in reference to Kate Bush’s song.

Her daughters Clemmy and Nancy are pictured running through fields of wildflower “& down it too”, as fans responded with well-wishes in the comments section.

Here is everything you need to know.

What happened?

“Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate,” they said in a joint statement posted on Mrs Owen's Instagram account, where she posts as Yorkshire Shepherdess.

“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.

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

It comes after the former couple issued a statement in October 2021 in response to public rumours about their marriage's health.

They issued a statement last year acknowledging they were going through a “rocky patch” in their marriage, saying they go through hardships and strains like any other relationship, and asking for privacy.

They 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. Unfortunately the constant intrusion into our lives from the media has amplified a rocky patch that we’re going through.”

There had been rumours for weeks that the marriage was on the rocks, and that Amanda had been living in a leased apartment away from Ravenseat Farm as they contemplated their future together.

There were also rumours that the Yorkshire Shepherdess had had an affair, though no confirmed sources have confirmed the facts surrounding their split.

“As we work through this,” the couple requested privacy.

Who are they?

The couple operates a 2,000-acre hill farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, where they look after roughly 1,000 sheep.

Amanda was 21 when the couple met in 1996; when she was despatched to fetch a ram from Clive's sheep farm as a contract shepherd, love developed.

She has previously said that when she met Clive, who had been living on the property - dates back to the Viking period - since 1989, she was more concerned with finding a sheepdog than a lover.

Clive was so concerned about his flock, she said in an interview with The Telegraph, that he lived on pies and cornflakes and kept feed bins in one of his living rooms.

She claims they didn't intend to have such a large family, but that each new member of their clan fit in well with their farm's free-range lifestyle.

Mrs Owen, 47, has published a book titled Celebrating The Seasons With The Yorkshire Shepherdess, which includes anecdotes and photographs from their lives in the countryside, as well as seasonal recipes

Speaking about her book recently, the shepherdess told the PA News agency: “It’s about the countryside, it’s about the things that people maybe value a little bit more now.

“During the pandemic, that was the one thing that was taken away from people. It doesn’t matter how much technology you’ve got, or how many Zooms you do, if what you really crave is fresh air and to be out in the elements.”

The couple received planning permission in May to turn a run-down Dales cottage into a new home.

In 2020, the Owens purchased High Smithy Holme, also known as Anty Johns, a remote farmhouse in the Swaledale parish of Muker, which is close to their sheep farm.

Anthony Clarkson, a Georgian-era land surveyor and commissioner who drew all of Swaledale's tithe maps, used to live there, and the National Archives still has copies of his papers.

The Owens proposed converting the house into a two-bedroom home; official consultees and members of the general public had no objections to the scheme.

Because their current residence at Ravenseat Farm is a tenanted property, the Owens initially stated that their acquisition of High Smithy Holme intended to provide them with a permanent home near their animals.