Category News

The Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen has revealed for the first time the true toll of her split from husband Clive that saw them both fearing for her life.

In a new interview Amanda recalls her darkest days after the pair called time on their marriage after 22 years. Amanda, who is mum to their nine children, reveals she suffered an eating disorder from which she is only now emerging.

Amanda says the disorder was part of a ‘cataclysmic’ breakdown she endured after splitting with Clive and embarking on a new short-lived new relationship with web designer Rob Davies, 72.

‘I just shut down.” Amanda tells the Daily Mail. “Physical and mental health are intertwined and anxiety, depression, paranoia, agoraphobia and an eating disorder were all smooshed into one.’

Amanda said she always had issues with food and eating – which was amplified by her nine pregnancies.

“The children witnessed it all. It has taught them resilience. It’s a weird sort of double life. You have moments of extreme strength, of feeling belligerent and spiky, then times when you feel the rug has been pulled from under you.

“I was back and forth to the hospital, to the doctors; it was a critical time and we were also doing the renovation at Anty John’s [the property that features in Our Farm Next Door].”

Clive said there were nights he feared he would not see Amanda the next morning.

Amanda says: “One Valentine’s night I went outside in the dark and something happened in my throat and I was throwing up blood. It was awful. The eating disorder has always bubbled up beneath the surface but I never imagined it would happen to that degree. Clive, in his basic, simplistic way said: “Why don’t you just eat summat?” There were a couple of times when I went out gathering [sheep] and I just flaked out. They had to come and get me.”

Amanda said it was a comfort to know that Clive would always have her back despite their separation.

“We can split up, shout the farm down, but we’ll always be there for each other,” said Clive.

Taylor Swift has emotionally opened up about the “violent” and “scary” Southport attack last year, breaking down in tears as she spoke about the tragic deaths. In July last year, three young girls were killed and ten children injured Axel Rudakubana, 17, attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport, Merseyside in a mass stabbing spree.

Bebe King, six and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died at the scene from their injuries, while Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in hospital the following day. Rudakubana was sentenced to life in prison for their murders with judge Mr Justice Goose calling it “the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime”.

Speaking about the incident in her new documentary, End of an Era, Taylor said: “We’ve had a series of violent, scary things happen to the tour like we dodged a massacre situation and so I’ve just been all over the place.

“There was this horrible attack at a Taylor Swift themed dance party and it was little kids,” she said, as she became upset. Through tears, she whispered: “I have a hard time explaining it.”

Still crying, Taylor spoke about meeting the families of the victims at one of her upcoming gigs. “I’m gonna meet some of these families tonight and put on a pop concert, you know? I’m gonna be fine because when I meet them, I’m not gonna do this I swear to god. I’m gonna be smiling.

“So any of this gets out of the way, before you ever go on stage, you lock it off. Three and a half hours, they don’t have to worry about you.

“It’s like you’re a pilot flying the plane and if you were like, ‘There’s turbulence up again, I’m don’t know if we’re actually going to land in Dallas. I’m going to try hard but I don’t know if I can actually land in this turbulence.’ Everyone on the plane is going to freak out. You have to have a calm, collected tone.”

Taylor was midway through her record-breaking Eras tour when the attack happened, with the pop star releasing a statement on social media the day after. “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I’m just completely in shock,” she wrote.

“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class.

“I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

The documentary marks the first time that Taylor has spoken about the horrific incident on camera.

Taylor Swift: End of an Era follows the American pop star as she embarks on her international tour, which began in March 2023 and ended in December the following year.

* Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.

Snap up £74 worth of makeup best sellers from Estee Lauder with more than 50% off with a gift set that would make a great Christmas present or stocking filler for beauty lovers

View 3 Images

It’s a well-known fact that gift sets are a great way to save money on beauty best-sellers, and that makes them perfect for giving as Christmas gifts. And now you’ll be able to give beauty lovers several of their favourite makeup items from Estee Lauder for considerably less.

At LookFantastic, the Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Set 3 Piece has a total value of £74, with three different eye makeup products inside. And although it usually comes with an already-discounted price tag of £39.50, the beauty retailer has slashed it even further, bringing the price down to £31.60.

READ MORE: Fearne Cotton uses this £35 metallic eyeliner that works on mature skin to add festive sparkle

READ MORE: Boots just slashed 50% off this 5-star rated LED mask that makes a ‘big difference’ to your skin

That means not only do you get the complete Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Set for more than 50% less than it’s worth, but you’ll also be getting all three items for less than the cost of just one item inside. The set contains both a full-size and travel-size Sumptuous ExtremeLash Multiplying Volume Mascara, and the long-lasting Double Wear Infinite Waterproof Eyeliner, which can be used together to give your eyes bold definition for any occasion.

View 3 Images

The full-size Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Mascara is worth £32 on its own, which means you’ll get everything in the set for less than the price of just buying the mascara on its own. One M&S shopper said of the mascara: “The best mascara ever! I have been using Sumptuous Extreme for about 12-13 years. I have tried hundreds of mascaras through all of my years, and there is not one that comes close.”

They added: “I have very small lashes, and I only need to apply this mascara 2 times for beautiful lashes! I always buy the waterproof, because my eyes water sometimes. I swear by this mascara, and Estee Lauder! You will NOT need any other mascara!”

The Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Set currently only has one review, but it’s a glowing five star one saying: “Great mascara and I’ve tried loads. The set is great value. Highly recommend.”

View 3 Images

The Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Set is ideal for this time of year, helping create glamorous, smokey and sultry eye makeup looks in an instant. Just line your eyes with the Double Wear Infinite Waterproof Eyeliner, which can be left as a crisp line or blended and smudged before setting, then apply the mascara for a false lash effect.

For a more complete makeup look, the YSL Gift Set is also on sale at Boots, down from £36 to £28.80, and contains a trio of beauty products including a mascara, eyeliner and lipstick. The Sephora Favourites Holiday Gift Set on the other hand is £49, and contains all the lip products your pout could need from glosses and oils to lipsticks and tints.

Or you could head over to Cult Beauty, where The Ultimate Holiday Edit, which is worth over £270, has been reduced to just £49. It contains brands like Medik8, Benefit and Laneige to help get your face and skin primed and ready for the festive season.