I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess

Rural sweethearts Reuben Owen and Jess Ellwood reveal what the festive period is like for young farmers, why they really don't want a white Christmas and what to expect in their seasonal TV special

- HANNAH BRITT

Even an avalanche couldn't keep Reuben Owen and his girlfriend Jess Ellwood apart – which is a good job, as TV's favourite farming couple prepare for Christmas in rural North Yorkshire.

Reuben proudly declares that they've not spent a day apart since they met at a Young Farmers' convention in 2024 and immediately hit it off. “It snows heavily where we are,” says Reuben, who lives at Ravenseat, his 2,000-acre family farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, where he runs a machinery business.

“We got snowed in last year. I've seen Jess every single day since we got together. And it was going to be the only day I hadn't seen her. But I wasn't going to let a little – or a lot of – snow stop me from getting to my love.

“It took me a long time to get the tractor started, and even longer to dig myself out of the snow, but I did it. I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I'd do it again a thousand times.”

While his wildly romantic gesture will impress fans who watch 5's Reuben Owen: Life In The Dales, Reuben is not sentimental about spending a white Christmas with Jess, 21, saying, “I'd rather it rained, so I could just drive over.”

Reuben, 22, rose to fame in Our Yorkshire Farm, starring with his parents, Amanda and Clive Owen, who split up in 2022 after 22 years of marriage, and his eight siblings – Raven, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine and Nancy. Now his own show is a big hit, and its Christmas special, airing on 23 December, will show everyone's favourite characters coming together to convert an old barn on Jess' family farm, ready for a festive feast.

Reuben, who went public about his romance with Jess last November, spends much of his time on the site at Brough Castle, living alongside Jess' mum Sarah, dad Dave, nana Diane, 400 sheep, 80 milk cows, three horses, 200 cattle, two cats and three dogs.