REUBEN OWEN AND JESSICA ELLWOOD TAKE A BIG STEP — BUILDING A LIFE TOGETHER ON THE FARM

For Reuben Owen, farm life has never simply been a career. It is the world he grew up in, the place where he learned to work with animals and machinery, and the foundation of the life viewers have watched unfold on television.

Now, the Our Yorkshire Farm star is entering a new chapter — this time alongside girlfriend Jessica Ellwood.

Reuben has moved into Jessica’s family home at Brough Castle Farm in Cumbria, turning a relationship that began in 2024 into a shared home and working life.

And for two young farmers, moving in together does not mean leaving the countryside behind.

It means sharing early mornings, livestock, muddy boots and long working days — while also finding time for simple moments together.

FROM RAVENSEAT TO A NEW HOME

Many viewers first met Reuben as one of Amanda and Clive Owen’s children on Our Yorkshire Farm.

Growing up at Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale, Reuben spent much of his childhood surrounded by sheep, machinery and the demanding routine of hill farming.

The 2,000-acre family farm became the setting for the hit television series and introduced the Owen family to audiences across Britain.

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

He developed a particular passion for machinery and eventually established a groundwork and plant-hire business, while continuing to maintain his connection with farming. His own Channel 5 programme, Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales, has followed that journey.

Now, home looks a little different.

Rather than returning to Ravenseat after spending time with Jessica, Reuben is making his home at her family’s farm in Cumbria.

A RELATIONSHIP THAT GREW NATURALLY

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

Their backgrounds gave them something important in common from the beginning.

Jessica grew up at Brough Castle Farm and has worked alongside her family from a young age. She has described farming as something that has always been part of her life and has spoken about her passion for working with animals.

That shared understanding of rural life appears to have made their relationship particularly natural.

Neither needs to explain why a day might begin before sunrise or why plans can suddenly change because an animal needs attention.

For them, that is simply normal life.

“IT STARTED WITH A TOOTHBRUSH”

The move to living together apparently happened gradually.

Reuben explained that he would initially travel to Jessica’s farm in the evening to see her, but increasingly found himself wanting to stay longer.

One night became another.

Then his belongings began to stay there.

As Reuben put it, “It started with a toothbrush” before his clothes eventually found their way into the washing machine and dinner was waiting for him at home.

Eventually, there was little reason to keep treating the arrangement as temporary.

Jessica explained that Reuben was already spending so much time there that “it just made sense.”

She described living together as “really special.”

For the couple, it was not a dramatic move so much as the natural next step in a relationship that had already become part of everyday life.

THEIR HOME IS ALSO THEIR WORKPLACE

Their new life together is far removed from the typical image of a young couple moving into their first home.

At Brough Castle Farm, there is still plenty of work waiting.

Jessica’s family farm has a flock of around 300 sheep, and both she and Reuben have been shown working together during busy periods.

In the third series of Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales, viewers saw Reuben helping Jessica and her family with sheep shearing, while also continuing his own machinery work.

The programme has also shown how Reuben is learning skills outside his usual comfort zone.

He is experienced with heavy machinery and groundwork, but traditional sheep shearing is something he had not previously mastered.

With Jessica’s help, he began learning the skill while helping with the family’s flock.

It is another example of how their relationship has become intertwined with their working lives.

THEN THERE IS FLUFF — THEIR “FIRST CHILD”

Perhaps the sweetest addition to their new household is a tiny lamb named Fluff.

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

Rather than allowing the vulnerable animal to remain without special care, Jessica and Reuben took her in and decided to keep her as a pet sheep.

Fluff has even spent time inside the house, sleeping on a blanket.

And the couple have jokingly taken their affection for the lamb one step further.

Reuben described Fluff as “more like our child” because of the way they care for her.

Jessica has also spoken about how quickly Fluff has become attached to them, particularly her.

For two people who spend their days surrounded by livestock, their “first child” is perhaps exactly the sort of family addition you might expect.

THEY STILL MAKE TIME FOR EACH OTHER

Farm life can be relentless.

There are animals to check, fields to manage and jobs that cannot always wait until the next morning.

But Reuben and Jessica have also found simple ways to enjoy their time together away from work.

Jessica said they occasionally go out for a meal as a date night and previously travelled together to Cyprus.

Most of the time, however, their evenings are much simpler.

When they are not working, the couple might relax together at home with fish and chips or a Chinese takeaway.

For a pair whose lives are already filled with work and responsibilities, those quiet evenings may be just as valuable as travelling somewhere new.

THEY HAVE NO PLANS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE

Their new home has also reinforced something both Reuben and Jessica already know about themselves.

They love rural life.

When asked whether they could imagine moving to a city, Reuben was clear that he could not see himself making such a change.

He has spent his entire life in the countryside and enjoys working alongside Jessica in the environment they both understand.

At one point, when discussing the possibility of moving elsewhere, Reuben told Jessica that he would go anywhere with her — but that there was nowhere he would rather be than in the countryside with her.

For now, therefore, their future remains firmly connected to farms, animals and rural communities.

FROM A TELEVISION CHILD TO A LIFE OF HIS OWN

For fans who watched Reuben grow up on Our Yorkshire Farm, the change is significant.

The little boy once seen working alongside his parents at Ravenseat has become a young businessman, farmer and television personality building an increasingly independent life.

His relationship with Jessica is another part of that transition.

He is no longer simply growing up within his parents’ story.

He is creating one of his own.

And importantly, he has chosen to build that future around the same values that shaped his childhood — hard work, farming, animals and a strong connection to the countryside.

A NEW CHAPTER — ONE WORKING DAY AT A TIME

Moving in together may sound like a major milestone for any couple.

For Reuben and Jessica, however, the change seems remarkably fitting.

They have not had to give up the lives they love in order to build a life together.

Instead, they have brought those worlds together.

There are still sheep to care for.

There are still early mornings.

There are still long days and difficult jobs.

But now they return to the same home.

And somewhere in the middle of it all is Fluff, the little lamb who has already become their much-loved “first child.”

From Ravenseat Farm to Brough Castle Farm, Reuben Owen’s life is entering a new chapter — and this time, he is not building it alone.

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