REUBEN OWEN AND JESSICA ELLWOOD TAKE A BIG STEP — FROM FARM LIFE TO BUILDING A HOME TOGETHER

For Reuben Owen, farm life has always been more than a job.

He grew up surrounded by sheep, machinery, long working days and the rugged landscape of Ravenseat Farm in the Yorkshire Dales, becoming familiar to millions of viewers through Our Yorkshire Farm.

Now, the young farmer is entering a very different chapter.

Reuben has moved in with his girlfriend, Jessica Ellwood, at her family’s farm in Brough Castle, Cumbria — bringing their relationship, work and everyday rural life even closer together.

FROM RAVENSEAT TO A HOME OF THEIR OWN

Reuben was introduced to television audiences as one of Amanda and Clive Owen’s nine children on Our Yorkshire Farm.

The series followed the Owen family as they worked on their huge hill farm at Ravenseat, documenting everything from looking after livestock to the challenges of life in the Yorkshire Dales.

As he grew older, Reuben began building a career of his own.

He developed a passion for machinery and eventually established his own groundwork and plant-hire business, a journey that later became the focus of his Channel 5 series Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales.

But while Reuben was creating his own path, he also found someone who understood the demands of rural life in much the same way he did.

That person was Jessica Ellwood.

A RELATIONSHIP BUILT AROUND FARMING

Reuben and Jessica met at a Young Farmers’ event in 2024 and later made their relationship public.

Their connection was perhaps easier to understand because they came from remarkably similar backgrounds.

Jessica was also raised around farming, animals and the responsibilities that come with running a working family farm.

In Life in the Dales, Reuben explained that their shared upbringing was an important part of their relationship.

They both understand that farm work does not simply stop because it is time for a date.

There are animals to check, machinery to operate, fences to maintain and jobs that have to be finished.

Instead of seeing that lifestyle as an obstacle, the couple have found ways to help each other.

“HE WAS THERE ALL THE TIME ANYWAY”

Their move in together appears to have happened naturally rather than through one dramatic announcement.

Jessica explained that Reuben had already been spending so much time at her family’s farm that living together simply made sense.

Reuben described how his visits gradually became longer.

What began with staying overnight eventually turned into leaving belongings at Jessica’s home — including a toothbrush — before his clothes were even finding their way into the washing machine.

Now, the couple are officially sharing a home.

Jessica described living together as “really special,” while Reuben said they were enjoying their time together and that their relationship kept getting better.

THEIR HOME IS STILL A WORKING FARM

For some couples, moving in together might mean settling into a new apartment or house.

For Reuben and Jessica, it means continuing to live surrounded by livestock and agricultural work.

Jessica’s family farm has a flock of around 300 sheep, and the couple regularly work together during some of the busiest periods of the farming calendar.

The third season of Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales has shown Reuben spending considerable time helping Jessica and her family with jobs around the Cumbrian farm.

The couple have worked together on everything from sheep shearing and fencing to checking livestock and preparing for lambing season.

Their relationship is therefore intertwined with the very lifestyle they both grew up knowing.

MEET FLUFF — THEIR “FIRST CHILD”

And then there is Fluff.

The tiny lamb has become one of the sweetest parts of their new life together.

Fluff was born with a broken leg after her mother accidentally stepped on it.

Rather than leaving the vulnerable lamb to struggle, Jessica and Reuben took her in and decided she would become their permanent pet sheep.

Jessica explained that Fluff had even slept inside the house on a blanket.

For the couple, she is more than just another animal on the farm.

Reuben jokingly described Fluff as being almost like their child, because of how much attention and care they give her.

The lamb has also developed a special bond with Jessica, reportedly becoming visibly excited when she sees her.

It is an unusually adorable glimpse into what life looks like for two young farmers building a home together.

THEY STILL MAKE TIME FOR DATES

Despite the demands of farm work, Reuben and Jessica have also found ways to enjoy time together away from the fields.

Jessica has said that they occasionally go out for a meal together for a date night.

But their idea of romance is refreshingly simple.

When they are not working, they might spend an evening together at home with fish and chips or a Chinese takeaway.

They have also travelled together, including a holiday to Cyprus.

For two people whose daily lives revolve around work, animals and family farms, those quieter moments appear to be just as important as bigger adventures.

A LIFE THEY DON’T WANT TO TRADE FOR THE CITY

Moving in together has also made one thing clear: neither Reuben nor Jessica appears eager to abandon their rural roots.

When asked whether they would ever consider moving to a city, Reuben was straightforward.

He has spent his entire life in the countryside and does not see city living as something he wants to pursue.

Jessica shares that connection to rural life.

Their future therefore appears closely tied to the farms, animals and communities that have shaped both of them.

FROM CHILDHOOD TELEVISION STAR TO BUILDING HIS OWN FUTURE

For viewers who first met Reuben as a young boy on Our Yorkshire Farm, seeing him now is a reminder of just how quickly life can change.

He is no longer simply one of the Owen children growing up at Ravenseat.

He has built a business, developed his own television series and created a life increasingly independent from his childhood home.

And now, he is sharing that life with someone who understands the world he comes from.

Jessica isn’t simply Reuben’s partner.

She is a fellow farmer who understands early mornings, muddy boots, unpredictable animals and the reality that weekends do not always mean time off.

That shared understanding appears to be one of the foundations of their relationship.

A NEW CHAPTER FOR REUBEN AND JESSICA

There is something quietly meaningful about Reuben’s next chapter.

He grew up watching his family work together at Ravenseat.

Now he is building a household of his own.

Instead of leaving farming behind, he and Jessica are creating a life within the same world that brought them together.

There are still sheep to care for, machinery to repair, fields to work and countless early mornings ahead.

And somewhere in the middle of it all is Fluff — their tiny pet lamb who has already become a much-loved part of their home.

For Reuben and Jessica, moving in together may be a major milestone.

But judging by their life so far, it is less about leaving their old lives behind and more about building something new together, one working day at a time.