Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen announces SPLIT from Clive after 21 years of marriage and nine kids
OUR Yorkshire Farm star Amanda Owen has revealed she's split from her husband Clive.
The couple have been married for 21 years and share nine children.
In a statement on Instagram, Amanda said: "Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate."
She continued: "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 that the media please respect our privacy as we work through this difficult time."
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The Sun first revealed their relationship had hit the rocks in October last year.
Family friends revealed the couple were battling to save their marriage - with mum-of-nine Amanda spending nights away from the family home.
They dealt with the difficulties at home in private, while Amanda was promoting her new book hailing the virtues of domestic life.
The 47-year-old's husband Clive, 66, was said to be “desperate” to repair their relationship.
Earlier this week, Amanda revealed she'd come under fire from social services for her parenting style.
Speaking at Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, she said: "I don't see myself as a perfect parent.
"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."
Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate."
Amanda Owen
While Amanda didn't reveal exactly what she had received a warning for, Our Yorkshire Farm came under fire in 2018 after showing scenes that appeared to breach health and safety.
Amanda has children aged between 21 and five, and the scenes saw some of the younger kids driving quad bikes without helmets and riding in tractor cabs and on trailers without guardrails.
The antics caught the attention of the workers' union Unite, which raised concerns at the time but amounted to nothing.
Meanwhile millions who watch their weekly rural dramas on Channel 5’s hit docuseries Our Yorkshire Farm will have had no idea about their secret marital pain.
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The Sun first approached Amanda’s publicist on October 12, enquiring about a possible split — with her living away from the family home in Swaledale.
We were told: “Amanda and Clive have not parted ways and Amanda has not moved out of the family home.”
Friends at the time said: “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."
Clive was previously married for 13 years — from which he has two grown-up children — but split in 1995 after meeting Amanda.
The couple went on to become known as the “Kardashians of the Countryside” with their own show in 2018, which has since become one of Channel 5’s biggest hits.
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Amanda has also released a series of Yorkshire Shepherdess books, with the first out in 2014.
The larger than life family shun modern technology and encourage their kids to play in the great outdoors and work on Ravenseat Farm.
