Former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher opens up on his regrets on moving to the countryside to start a new life as a farmer as he misses the comfort of having his family close by

After playing Emmerdale’s Andy Sugden for more than 20 years, actor Kelvin Fletcher decided to ditch urban life and stardom as a soap actor to embark on a new life on a farm – with his family in tow.

The 39 year old soap star decided to take on a 120-acre holding on the edge of the Peak District two years ago to run a farm – and then turn it into a TV show. But now, ahead of the new series of Fletcher’s Family Farm, that airs on ITV on October 15, the former actor has revealed that there are a few things he misses about not living in the city.

Kelvin’s new TV series Fletcher’s Family Farm airs on ITV on Sunday 15 October at 11.30am ( 
Image:
ITV)

Kelvin explained: “I was really happy where we were but there’s nothing I miss that I don’t have; well except I think the only thing is mum and dad coming around for a brew because they lived five minutes away. The thing I love is days like today, the sounds of the birds and all the noises. It’s the stillness, no other place has made me feel quite as present as this place does and that’s the ability it has. It is the stand still ability that allows you to capture that moment.”

He added: “That’s so rare for everyone because we are all so busy. Busy lives, busy careers and constantly looking forward, being ambitious and planning. But that is one thing, it offers that solace and I think that is absolutely crucial especially with a young growing family, because these moments will soon be over. The kids are growing up and I know that we will always want to look back and cherish and recapture these moments so it is key that we remain present.”

And his actress wife Liz, who shares four children with the former Emmerdale star added: “Yes, I think friends and family because we don’t live so close to them anymore. They are the people we miss. But we make big efforts to see them, they come and they will have a huge day on the farm. So we do miss them coming around everyday but we do still have days getting everyone together when we can.”

She continued to say: “It’s also the excitement. Everyday it is down to us to create what we do on the farm and what we do with this space and I think that is one of the best things. We get the chance to look around and think ‘right, what’s next?’ ‘Where do we go from here?’ We can start with one thing and completely change it the next day. Everyday is different, there has not been a single day that has been the same.”

The couple now have 100 sheep, 30 pigs, 10 horses, six chickens, a cat and Ginger the dog. Oh, and four children under the age of seven. Speaking of his excitment ahead of the new series, Kelvin continued: “It is a brand new series and coming home! Back to ITV. In many respects, this has been a long time in the making and we have been here at the farm for two years now. We have established a home here. The whole purpose of this programme is to give a real and genuine insight into how life on the farm is. We are considered new entrants to farming, so even though it’s been our home for two years, we are still very much the newbies in town. We have never done anything like this before.