Kelvin Fletcher, known for his role as farmer Andy Sugden in Emmerdale, has shown that he’s not far removed from his on-screen persona, having traded his soap life for tending to livestock.
While his days on the soap may be over, his television career is far from finished. The former ITV star is now embarking on a new venture with his own reality show, Fletcher’s Family Farm, which features his wife, Liz, and their four children.
In a recent episode, viewers saw an emotional moment when Liz and her Strictly Come Dancing champion husband entered their cattle into a prestigious competition in Cheshire, near their 120-acre farm in the Peak District. They won first prize and even took home the champion award, but the most touching moment came when their two eldest children, Milo and Marnie, stepped up to help lead the cows to victory.
Speaking to the camera, Kelvin became emotional as he recounted a special moment with his daughter just before they entered the arena. She confessed to him that she had been “scared.”
The former Strictly winner encouraged his daughter to go on and win but admitted privately that “it broke his heart,” reports Cheshire Live.
But it wasn’t just Kelvin who was moved to tears. Proud mum Liz, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t contain her emotions and began to cry after seeing Kelvin and Marnie together at the event.
The ITV show has quickly become a hit among viewers, earning its status as a beloved feel-good programme. It resonates with audiences through its portrayal of the Fletchers Farm Family, a relatable group even in their agricultural setting.
Over the years, the family has experienced a rollercoaster of triumphs and tribulations, bringing warmth to hearts as they navigate rookie tasks like animal care, cleaning barns, and maneuvering tractors.
In this deep dive, we’ll delve into the private lives of the Fletcher Clan from Emmerdale.
Emmerdale
Kelvin was on the soap for two decades
(Image: shared content unit)
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Kelvin Fletcher, who first appeared on the show in 1996, has graced our screens for nearly 20 years as Andy Sugden, the charming character in the adored soap.
Andy is the blood son of Billy Hopwood and Trisha Hopwood and was adopted by Jack Sugden and Sarah Sugden.
His stint in the soap involved hefty drama, particularly when his wife Katie met her eerie end. The circumstances surrounding Katie’s death were rather murky she died after falling through a rotten barn floor during a heated confrontation with Robert Sugden.
Post-Emmerdale, Kelvin hasn’t strayed far from the spotlight. When he bid farewell to the soap, his character Andy was given a lifeline by Robert, who supplied him with a fake passport in the name of Brian Moore.
In a twist of fate, he almost ran away with Bernice Blackstock, but she backed out at the very last second.
Jealousy
Kelvin and Liz almost didn’t make it down the aisle
(Image: Steve Morgan)
Despite his successful run on Emmerdale, Kelvin admitted that life sometimes presented challenges behind the scenes. His spouse, Liz, struggled with certain aspects of his profession, feeling uneasy and “jealous” whenever his role demanded intimate scenes.
At the time, Kelvin openly spoke to The Sun about how he navigated his professional and personal life, explaining, “I do ring her up and say, ‘I’m kissing so-and-so today’ and make a joke about it. That’s how we deal with it. But Liz won’t watch the show because she gets too jealous. To me, though, it’s just work.”
Liz and Kelvin part ways
Kelvin and his wife had a brief split
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Having known each other since they were eight years old, Kelvin and Liz reconnected in 2009, and their relationship led to marriage in 2016. However, they nearly didn’t make it to the altar. In 2010, they split up after Liz found difficulty coping with the attention Kelvin got from fans.
Kelvin received numerous flirtatious messages from fans while he was a teenage heartthrob, causing a rift with his long-term love, Liz.
A source at the time told the Mirror, “Liz has always been jealous of the attention Kelvin receives. “He is always getting stopped by girls wanting his autograph when he’s on nights out. Kelvin assures her nothing goes on, but it has worn her down over the years, and she decided that she just couldn’t continue seeing him.”
Race car driver past
Kelvin took a different career path after leaving Emmerdale
(Image: Julian Hamilton/Sunday Mirror)
Kelvin might have driven no more than a tractor across the Emmerdale set at a snail’s pace, but in 2017, his life took a shortcut to a different kind of track. He quit the soap opera world, swapped his fictional vehicle for a £200,000 supercar, and raced towards a career on the tracks.
His talents became apparent swiftly as he ascended the ranks of the amateur leagues and secured various championships.D iscussing his passion for automobiles with the Express, he shared: “I’ve always been a risk taker, and I love anything with an engine. My dad was a mechanic, and I wanted to be one too.
“Even when I started acting, I still wanted to be in a garage. I was obsessed with cars.”
Fletcher’s Family Farm airs each weekend on ITV1 and can be streamed via the ITV hub.