After the mother-of-nine's marriage break-up... Can the Yorkshire Shepherdess' ... trends now

Even as a young boy Reuben Owen was way ahead of his years.

The eldest son of nine children born to Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen and her husband Clive, Reuben was just eight when he first appeared on our TV screens, lugging bales of wool around his parents' remote Swaledale sheep farm and hunting down moles running riot across their 2,000 acres of land.

He could birth a lamb and wield a wrench long before he knew how to read or write.

After the Owens' debut on a 2011 documentary about the Yorkshire Dales, the family became unlikely household names through their own Channel 5 show, Our Yorkshire Farm, with shepherdess Amanda the stand-out star.

Now, a dozen harvests on, and having toiled away quietly in the background, it appears Reuben has outgrown his famous mother in more ways than one.

Filming on Our Yorkshire Farm came to an end in 2021 after five series, with the final episodes airing last year amid rumours Amanda, 48, was having an affair and the collapse of her 22-year marriage to Clive, 68.

But while both husband and wife have since sought to reinvigorate their careers via rival shows, it is Reuben, now 20, whose popularity has soared.

The former apprentice mechanic has been courted by TV executives who have spotted the multi-generational appeal of his no-nonsense demeanour and work ethic — not to mention the charm of his burgeoning romance with girlfriend Sarah Dow, which he has documented on social media.

In much the same way as farming contractor Kaleb Cooper became the must-watch star for younger viewers on Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon show Clarkson's Farm, Reuben is TV gold.

As a source close to the family put it to the Mail this week: 'If anyone's going to be a star now it's Reuben. He has a big social media following and has the same charming way about him as his dad.'

Reuben and Sarah have been together since December 2021. The pair share a passion for farm machinery and videos Reuben has uploaded of them tackling repairs together have been a hit on TikTok and Instagram.

Amanda’s affair has tarnished her wholesome image 

Sarah's regular appearances with Reuben on Beyond The Yorkshire Farm have also proved to be ratings winners.

Indeed, earlier this year it emerged that the Channel 5 spin-off featuring Reuben and his father Clive embarking on an 'exciting digging business' had drawn in 1.7 million viewers, more than double those for Amanda Owen's Farming Lives, a More 4 show featuring the Yorkshire Shepherdess.

Such was Reuben's popularity among young and old alike that Clive announced he was considering stepping back from the spotlight to let his son take centre stage.

And now some are wondering if Reuben's growing profile is behind a recent decision by Amanda to put her marital strife behind her and rejoin forces with both her estranged husband and grown-up son in another TV comeback.

It was revealed earlier this week that filming has started on Our Farm Next Door, a new Channel 4 series featuring the trio working together to renovate an ancient farmhouse next door to Ravenseat, the hill farm made famous on Our Yorkshire Farm. A source told the Mail that Amanda's U-turn may have come because of fears that her tumultuous private life had tarnished the wholesome family image which made Our Yorkshire Farm such a hit — and her such a star.

As well as countless TV appearances and speaking engagements, she has released a series of books. 'But people turned up to see her on book tours because they loved the family life of the Owens, the children and the relationship with Clive,' the source added.

'Once it became clear she didn't want to be

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