Our Farm Next Door's Amanda Owen says it's been a 'nightmare' amid challenging winter
by Sam Dimmer, Gemma Jones · NottinghamshireLiveAmanda Owen has revealed she's "glad to have survived" after a gruelling winter at the farm she shares with ex-partner Clive Owen. The stars of More4's Our Farm Next Door detailed the hardships they faced while simultaneously revamping their home and maintaining the farm, including animal care and building projects.
During Monday's episode of the show on 4 November, Amanda articulated the difficulty of the season, saying: "Lambing time is always a hard time of year."
"It's been hard on the flock and it's been hard on the pockets. We've just had to literally shovel food into the animals because it's taken until now for the grass to grow and I suppose, if anything, it makes you aware of how difficult it must have been in times gone by."
Reflecting further, she mused, "You know, a couple of hundred years ago, I don't know how they coped. I do not know how they coped with a bad winter."
However, adopting a more hopeful tone, she continued: "Yeah we've survived it. We finally turned a corner. And we are so ready for some sunshine and a bit of dry," reports the Express.
Tackling another struggle, Amanda spoke optimistically about the ongoing construction at their property, noting, "I can see a real change, there's been a lot gone on."
She observed the transition of the work, expressing, "I've seen quite a lot of things being smashed to pieces and sort of things going back. But now everything is going forward," and concluded by drawing positivity from the process: "Putting back together feels more hopeful than sort of taking to pieces."
The More4 celebrity revealed that their initial idea for the house was simply to convert the right-hand side into living quarters. Yet, as she explained, the project expanded significantly: "But as times gone on it has become blatantly obvious that we may as well utilise the barn space."
The family has encountered challenges off-screen as well. Clive, who parted ways with Amanda in 2022, has recently had a hip operation and is currently recuperating, with his family's support. Amanda shared with the cameras in behind-the-scenes footage: "There's a lot going on here. It's been a nightmare here. I've got children going to school, I've got children studying and children working and then he comes to me and says he's bored.
"He has had a hip replacement and he's a terrible patient. Everybody's just getting on and stuff's getting done but just not how he would like it. But most of the time we don't care."