Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz Marsland made a frank admission about farming life as they showed Good Morning Britain viewers around their 120-acre Cheshire ranch on Friday morning’s programme (December 22).

The pair joined ITV hosts Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh live from their farm in Macclesfield, Cheshire, to chat about their one-off festive special programme which goes out on Christmas Eve. But while on-air, they suffered an unfortunate blunder concerning one of their adorable farm animals.

Ben asked the couple if they usually have an early start, tending to their pigs and sheep. Kelvin, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, responded honestly: “You know what Ben, it’s not too bad. It’s having young kids that makes it an early start! Our twins are 18 months now and we were up all night.”

Kelvin and Liz share daughter Marnie, six, son Milo, four, and twin sons Maximus and Mateusz, whom they welcomed in 2022. Kelvin went on: “Mateusz just would not settle last night so it feels like it’s midday. So apologies.” He then quipped: “Make-up’s not here this morning so apologies,” as Liz chipped in: “We’re looking a bit tired!”

Ben responded: “I love that it’s still the kids that are harder work than the sheep and the piglets and everything else on the farm.” Liz laughed: “Oh the farm is a breeze compared to having kids!”

Kelvin Fletcher, his wife Liz Marsland and their children at their farm (Image: ITV)
Former Strictly champion Kelvin, who played farmer Andy Sugden in Emmerdale, then went on to introduce viewers to their sweet little piglets, who were just eight weeks old. But it was the cheeky lambs that were causing havoc.

Liz explained that she and Marnie had an ‘early Christmas present’ when they bought ‘the most beautiful’ Jacob sheep. As the camera panned to introduce the young, one little lamb squeezed its way out through the pen’s metal gates.

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“I’m a Shephard, obviously, so it’s in my blood,” Ben joked, referring to his last name. “Should sheep be able to get out the pen that easily?”

“No, they shouldn’t!” Liz responded, as the presenters burst into laughter. “You’ve got to go with it, you’ve got to improvise!”

Kelvin also revealed that the family had originally planned to relocate to Los Angeles before they bought their farm. Airing early last year, the family had their own BBC programme, Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure, which documented their efforts to renovate the land and get to grips with farming life.

Ben and Ranvir were amused by the cheeky lambs (Image: ITV)

Fletcher’s Family Farm was then picked up by ITV, with the new series launching earlier this autumn.

Despite years of playing a farmer on Emmerdale, Kelvin had absolutely zero farming experience. He admitted during his Good Morning Britain appearance that his farming skills from the soap ‘weren’t transferrable.’