Reuben Owen and girlfriend Jess Ellwood’s love life on the farm never ends, even at Christmas, thanks to turkeys, tinsel, and tractors. Speaking to The Mirror they exclusively reveal they are yet to spend a day apart…
Even an avalanche would not keep Reuben Owen and his girlfriend Jess Ellwood apart – which is a good job, as TV’s favourite farming couple prepare for Christmas in deepest North Yorkshire.
Reuben proudly declares that they haven’t spoken a day apart since they met at a Young Farmers’ convention in 2024 and are now in love. Rebuen, who owns and runs his 2000-acre family farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, says, “It snows heavily where we are” and that they “have never spent a day apart.” From the plot, he runs a machinery company.
“We got snowed in last year. I’ve seen Jess every single day since we got together. And it was going to be the only day I hadn’t seen her. But I wasn’t going to let a little (or a lot) of snow stop me from getting to my love. It took me a long time to get the tractor started and even longer to dig myself out of the snow but I did it. I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I’d do it again a thousand times.”
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Fans of Channel 5’s Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales will be impressed by his wildly romantic gesture, but he doesn’t care whether Jess, 21, spends a white Christmas with him, saying, “I’d rather it rained, so I could just drive over.”
The couple, who revealed their romance in November, have the support of both their loving families and viewers. Reuben, 22, rose to fame in his 22nd marriage to Amanda and Clive Owen, and his eight siblings, Raven, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy. Now his own show is a massive hit, the Christmas special of which, airing on December 23, will show everyone’s favourite characters coming together to convert an old barn on Jess ‘ family farm, ready for a festive feast.
Lovebirds Reuben and Jess spend much of his time on the site at Brough Castle, living alongside Jess’ mum Sarah, dad Dave, nana Diane, 400 sheep, 80 milk cows, three horses, 200 cattle, two cats and three dogs.
“When it snows, it freezes all the water pipes for the animals. You must also blow torch everything, including the troughs. It takes a long time. So we are not dreaming of a white Christmas”, laughs Jess. Because the milking parlours were cooled to minus 10 last year, we had to put heaters in them.
There’s a lovely connection between the two families, dating back to long before the young couple met. “Jess’ grandad used to raise hundreds of turkeys for Christmas every year, and when I was a boy my dad would come to the farm to buy the biggest one for our Christmas dinner,” says Reuben.
This year, the couple decided to turn turkeys from chicks into a festive feast for their Christmas dinner and the show. Jess laughs, “We do regret the day we made that choice.”
“We’ve had a run around from those turkeys,” he said. We had to re-build their fences twice because they have escaped so many times. They’re not like sheep – they’re chaotic – it takes three people to round one bird up. Porna rounds her nightie and slippers back into their pen after spending some nights outside in the freezing cold. We are all enthralled by the CCTV. They’ve certainly made us work for our supper”.
The farm’s Christmas season is busy. Everyone works together to accomplish it. Christmas was always chaos at my house growing up – and it still is to be honest. Reuben says it was loud and exciting because there were eight of us kids present.
But never, even on Christmas Day, does farming stop. “All our jobs still had to get done before we could open our presents”, says Reuben. The animals are just as hungry as we are! You never get days off, according to Jess, who continues, “because it’s the most challenging part of farming.” It’s back breaking work sometimes. Being tired is always the hardest part. “Especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
“Christmas is truly a time we should realise just how much work goes into our dinner. The people behind the food, the preparation and hours people put in,” says Reuben. “All the animals, the veg has been planted months earlier, and a bad bit of weather comes and it all goes to pot. The amount of hours that go into getting it from the field to the table – I wish people knew.”
Reuben and Jess are the newest generation of farmers in the country, preserving traditional farming techniques and putting them to use in their communities. Our lives are quite different I would assume to the average 20 something, “says Reuben”. However, it’s common for us to find many young people who grew up on farms working in agriculture.
It’s a very different life, Jess continues, “compared to someone who doesn’t farm.” But there are more and more young people getting involved. The number of students at agricultural college was the highest ever year that I attended. also includes both girls and boys. So things are certainly changing for the better. It’s greatly needed, and being a part of the change is exciting.
“Being a girl in agriculture is great. I have many friends who work with their fathers, and there are a few of us nearby. When she first remembers farming with her father, Dave, “I remember the sheep and the cows. I was a part of it all from birth. Since I was a young child, I’ve always wanted to help my father. There’s a lovely sense of freedom to farming. Weather permitting, we’re out. Additionally, I can operate a tractor.
Reuben adds, proudly: “She’s great with a machine…” Now the couple are looking forward to their Christmas TV special. There are turkeys, tractors, and tinsel everywhere! Everyone worked hard, and it was a big team effort. Jess was stirring concrete, I was lugging stone flags around, all the familiar faces from the show lent a hand – from Sonny and Capper, too, and my brothers Miles and Sid, and my dad Clive – even the production team got involved to get it all done”, says Reuben.
The couple has big plans for the space now that it is finished. We’ve talked about using it as a wedding venue, but I’m not sure if Jess will get a ring under the tree this year. There might even be wedding bells.
They also anticipate that there will be additional income from the barn. Reuben explains that because farming is now so profitable, people have to work elsewhere. “Years and years ago farms like this would have been fine, they’d have made good money. However, now that food prices are rising, you must diversify to maintain a steady income.
Milk is “as affordable as water, if not more affordable.” This life can be quite stressful. Why is having a community close by so important. Everyone works together and contributes. I have my staff – who are my friends. Both of us have family farms. We assist each other’s families. It brings us all very close together. “
Reuben and Jess’ families will gather to celebrate this year. Our families will gather for Christmas. It’ll be a full house! Reuben asserts that farming is a good job because we live on farms. I’ll likely arrive at Jess’ family farm for lunch, meet her, and then drive home for a second Christmas dinner at my family farm. And at some point, the whole lot of us will get together for a damson gin, made by Jess ‘ nana. “
What can Jess anticipate finding under the Christmas tree in the absence of a diamond ring? For Christmas, I gave my mother some stone troughs last year to visit a house she’s doing up. I like to get functional gifts. I’ve got a chain from Jess’ father, Dave. Not a necklace, in any case. It’s a tow chain made in Sweden. I got Jess a cordless angle grinder. Nothing, after all, can express love like a cordless angle grinder.
Reuben Owen: Christmas in the Dales will be broadcast on Channel 5 starting at 8pm on December 16th.
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