EXCLUSIVE: “I’m Done Having Babies — But Not With Love”: Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen Opens Up About Life After Divorce, Her Nine Children, and the Chaos She’ll Miss Forever
She stands on the windswept moors of Ravenseat Farm, a speck of warmth against a canvas of rolling grey skies and bleating sheep. Amanda Owen, the woman Britain fell in love with as The Yorkshire Shepherdess, has built her life on grit, family, and the beauty of chaos.
But now, at 50, and after welcoming nine children, she says with a wry smile and mist in her eyes: “There won’t be a tenth. I’m too old for that now — even if part of me wishes I wasn’t.”
It’s a confession that has sent her devoted fans reeling — a rare moment of vulnerability from a woman long seen as the stoic, unbreakable heart of Britain’s favourite farming family.
‘I love the chaos. I love the mess. But you can’t freeze time.’
Amanda’s story has always been one of resilience. From her days as a young girl in Huddersfield dreaming of open skies, to her unexpected rise as a national treasure through Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm, her journey has been as rugged and unpredictable as the Dales she calls home.
The public watched, spellbound, as the couple juggled livestock, lambing, and laughter, turning their remote corner of England into a symbol of family and fortitude. But behind the pastoral perfection, cracks began to show.
By 2022, the marriage had quietly — and painfully — unraveled.
“We were together for more than two decades,” Amanda reflects. “That’s a lifetime, really. Things change, people change. I’ll never badmouth him — but sometimes love doesn’t vanish, it just… changes shape.”
Now, the once inseparable pair live in neighboring farmhouses — “He’s next door, literally next door,” she chuckles — a modern twist on rural co-parenting.
“We still bicker,” she admits, her tone equal parts fondness and frustration. “He’s still the same old Clive — annoying as ever. But he’s a good man. We’re civil, mostly. We share animals, fences, and sometimes meals. It’s not picture-perfect, but it works.”
The woman who made motherhood look like an adventure
In her new interview — her most candid yet — Amanda confides that motherhood was never about image, but instinct.
“I never planned to have nine kids,” she laughs, pushing a strand of windblown hair behind her ear. “It just… happened. Each one was a gift, and each one brought a different kind of madness.”
She pauses, looking toward the horizon.
“People think I’m addicted to babies, but it’s not the babies I love most — it’s the growing-up part. Watching them become their own people. Teenagers with attitude, big ideas, big hearts. These are the best years — when you see a reflection of yourself in them, but better.”
Her eldest, Raven, now 23, is pursuing a science degree. Reuben, the mechanically minded second child, has already started his own contracting business. “They’re carving their paths,” she says proudly. “They’re independent — and that’s all I ever wanted for them.”
But for a woman so defined by motherhood, does the thought of no more babies sting?
Amanda nods softly. “There’s always a pang,” she admits. “There’s something about knowing that chapter’s closed. It’s final. But I’m grateful — I’ve lived that joy nine times. Not many people get to say that.”
From heartbreak to hope — and a new beginning next door
Since her separation, Amanda has focused her energy on Our Farm Next Door, Channel 4’s follow-up series chronicling her attempt to restore a derelict farmhouse.
“It’s a metaphor, really,” she says with a grin. “Rebuilding something old, giving it new life. That’s what I’m doing, in every sense.”
Her days remain long and unforgiving — tending to flocks, repairing stone walls, and coaxing stubborn machinery back to life — but there’s a peace in her solitude now that she once couldn’t imagine.
“There was a time I thought I’d crumble without Clive,” she admits. “But you discover strength in silence. The farm teaches you that — you can’t wallow when there’s work to do.”
Sources close to Amanda say the separation, while difficult, has also freed her to rediscover herself.
“Amanda’s finally putting herself first,” one friend tells The Mail. “She spent decades caring for everyone else — Clive, the kids, the animals, the show. Now, she’s taking quiet joy in small things. A sunrise, a lamb’s first steps, a day without rain.”
A modern shepherdess in a media storm
With fame, however, comes scrutiny. Over the past three years, Amanda’s private life has been relentlessly dissected — from her wardrobe to her relationship status.
Tabloids speculated about new romances, fans debated her parenting on social media, and critics questioned whether the show romanticized rural hardship.
But Amanda, as ever, remains unbothered.
“I can’t please everyone,” she shrugs. “I never tried to. I’m just being me — and if that ruffles feathers, so be it.”
Her social media, a blend of muddy boots and poetic sunsets, has become both a diary and a defense mechanism.
“People see me smiling in a photo and think it’s all perfect,” she says. “They don’t see the breakdowns over broken tractors or the nights you sit by the fire worrying about bills. But that’s life. And it’s real.”
Clive, chaos, and co-parenting in the Dales
Amanda’s relationship with Clive remains a source of fascination — two people forever linked by history, geography, and nine growing children.
In her chat with Hello! magazine, she joked, “If we got on like a house on fire, we’d still be married. He’s still the same annoying old Clive — and I’m sure I annoy him just as much.”
Their banter, equal parts exasperation and affection, has become the foundation of their unconventional friendship.
“He’s next door,” she repeats. “Sometimes that’s a blessing, sometimes a curse. But when there’s lambing season, or a sick ewe, or one of the kids needs help — he’s there. Always has been.”
It’s this resilience — not romantic reconciliation — that defines them now.
“We’ll always be a team, in our own way,” she says quietly. “We built this life together. That doesn’t disappear just because the romance did.”
‘The farm gives you truth. The land doesn’t lie.’
Amanda credits the farm itself for grounding her through heartbreak and fame alike.
“The Dales don’t care who you are,” she says. “They’ll humble you in a heartbeat. You can be on the front page one day and knee-deep in muck the next.”
When asked if she’s happier now, she considers the question carefully.
“Happiness isn’t constant,” she replies. “But there’s contentment. There’s pride. And there’s laughter — even in the chaos.”
The nation’s shepherdess — and what’s next
Despite stepping back from Our Yorkshire Farm, Amanda’s media presence continues to grow. Her Channel 4 series has been praised for its raw honesty, and publishers are reportedly vying for a follow-up memoir exploring her post-divorce life.
“She’s the real deal,” says one TV insider. “She’s not playing a character. She’s just Amanda — flawed, funny, strong as the hills.”
Her fans, too, have rallied behind her. Comments on her Instagram overflow with affection: “You’re an inspiration,” one wrote. “Proof that women can start again, even in muddy boots.”
A message to women everywhere
Before the interview ends, Amanda offers a reflection that feels as timeless as the landscape around her.
“You can lose love and still have love left to give,” she says softly. “You can lose a marriage and still be a family. And you can lose youth — but not joy.”
The wind howls across the moor as she turns back toward the farmhouse — a figure of endurance, humor, and heart.
“I’m done having babies,” she repeats, smiling now. “But I’ll never be done with life. There’s still so much to do.”
Amanda Owen at a glance
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Age: 50
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Occupation: Shepherdess, TV presenter, author
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Known for: Our Yorkshire Farm (Channel 5), Our Farm Next Door (Channel 4)
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Children: Nine – Raven, Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clemmy, Nancy
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Former husband: Clive Owen (married 2000–2022)
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Home: Ravenseat Farm, Yorkshire Dales
Fans React
“Amanda’s the real heart of Yorkshire — strong, kind, and honest. She reminds us what family truly means.” – Fan comment on Instagram
“Her life isn’t perfect, but that’s what makes her so relatable. She’s proof you can rebuild after heartbreak.” – Viewer, Leeds
“I hope she writes another book — we need her voice now more than ever.” – Reader, Cornwall
As the mist rolls in and the last of the sheep return to their pens, Amanda Owen — mother, farmer, and national sweetheart — closes another chapter in her extraordinary life.
Not with a baby in her arms this time, but with something deeper: peace, purpose, and the quiet power of starting again.
