Clive Owen on split with Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen: 'I made a right mess of things'

The husband of farming celebrity Amanda Owen has spoken out for the first time since they separated, saying he had a "massive part to play" in the breakdown of their relationship.

48-year-old Amanda - known as the "Yorkshire Shepherdess" - shot to fame in 2018 on the Channel 5 TV Series Our Yorkshire Farm which followed the lives of the couple and their nine children on their farm near Richmond.

But in November 2022 it was announced the series would not return after the couple separated earlier in the year.

Speaking on Lorraine on ITV 1, Clive Owen said he wanted to speak out in defence of his wife, after she was the target of trolls online since they separated.

He told presenter Christine Lampard that he handled being on the show badly.

He said: "It was such a change in our life and I sadly made a right mess of things really. And I had a massive part to play in our relationship ending. A massive part to play.

"She was committed and we were all committed to this thing but it seemed to eat away at me and I handled it badly and I behaved badly towards her.

"I should have been supporting her and I was doing the absolutely opposite."

The pair, who have been married 22 years, are still co-parenting their nine children and working together on their farm.

A new show has since started called Beyond The Yorkshire Farm, which stars Clive and their eldest son, 18-year-old Reuben as they launch a digging business together.

Clive said Amanda has come in for unfair criticism since the pair split.

He said: "It's been really upsetting. Amanda's having a really tough time at the moment and I just feel I can't just sit back and watch all this happen without maybe saying something in her defence.

"She's a remarkable woman. I made a complete mess of it. We got to a point where we couldn't be together any more."

"If I'd have supported her and looked after her I'm sure things would have been much different.