Former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher has opened up about the “traumatic” chapter that forced him and his wife Liz out of their beloved family home following a devastating blaze.
Kelvin, 42, who appears alongside Liz and their children in the ITV series Fletchers’ Family Farm, spoke candidly on Lorraine about the ordeal that left them living in temporary accommodation for six months.
The popular show documents the family’s new life as first-time farmers after relocating to a remote corner of the Peak District.
But their idyllic rural dream was rocked when tragedy struck at their 120-acre farm in Wincle, Cheshire.
While the family were away on holiday, a serious fire broke out at the property — leaving their farmhouse uninhabitable.
The aftermath meant the couple and their children had to move into a temporary house while plans were made to rebuild and renovate their cherished home.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, 66, alongside Liz, 41, Kelvin reflected on the shock event.
“That’s life, you know,” he said. “Yes, it’s idyllic and there’s this great sense of escapism, but life does throw curveballs and that was a big curveball for us.
“Looking back, it was quite a traumatic time, but as ever, you try to take out the positives and look forward.”
Despite the upheaval, Kelvin remains optimistic.
“We’ve got a big rebuild about to start, but I’ve been wanting to show that in the show — that the show is our lives, so the good, the bad… overwhelmingly it’s positive because we’re in a really great place now.”
In a light-hearted moment, Liz even teased that Lorraine herself would feature in an upcoming episode.
“You’re on the next episode, actually,” she revealed. “Spoiler alert — we film us doing a live VT, so you see the behind the scenes.”
The interview follows a candid moment from the Christmas special of Fletchers’ Family Farm, when Liz joked she might not be Kelvin’s “dream woman.”
During a festive trip to Austria, the family stayed with the Achrainer family, where matriarch Martina taught Liz how to make traditional Austrian fried dough pastries known as Bauernkrapfen.
After the lesson, Liz laughed to camera: “That was so fascinating and it’s so good to see that they have this real farmer’s wife tradition… And actually, that’s probably Kelvin’s dream woman.”
Giggling, she added: “A farmer’s wife… and he got me, and I can’t cook.”
Kelvin and Liz, who have known each other since they were young, began dating in 2009. They became engaged in 2014 and married the following year.
In 2021, the couple purchased their farm after plans to relocate to California were halted by the Covid pandemic.
Their farming journey has since been documented in Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure and Fletchers’ Family Farm, giving viewers an honest glimpse into the challenges and rewards of rural life.
Previously speaking on BBC Breakfast about their move, Kelvin explained: “I think for me, I personally don’t want to seek any sort of validation elsewhere.
“I know how valued we are as a family and what we do on our small family farm, and I share that with every other family farm.
“You take great pride in producing food and having a real acknowledgement towards nature, towards the habitat.
“You’re a custodian of the land, and it’s a privilege.”
He also told Country and Town House last year that allowing cameras into their private lives wasn’t an easy decision.
“There were a lot of considerations initially,” he said. “As actors, to invite a film crew into your personal space, in a situation that you’re still figuring out yourself, there were some serious considerations.
“But we did it as honestly as we could, and what we got out of it was, first and foremost, an amazing TV show.
“The audience reception we’ve had has been absolutely incredible, and it has resonated with so many people.
“But we can also look back and think, ‘we’ve captured that moment.’ We’ve really got that documented in such a beautiful way that we will have forever. And the fact that people have enjoyed watching it is just the biggest of bonuses.”
