Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan has spoken about the lonely reality of farming life, admitting that adjusting to her newfound fame and leaving her nursing career behind has been difficult.
The 25-year-old, who stepped in as Jeremy Clarkson's farm hand, saw her Instagram following jump from 8,000 to 500,000 overnight after appearing on the show. She has since received multiple job offers.
Lonely hours on the tractor
Harriet told Closer Magazine: "Being a farmer can be quite lonely so catching up with friends is important. Most of the time at work, I'm on my own on the tractor for around 12 hours."
She added: "It does get lonely, so I speak to my friends who are in the same situation. Nearly all of my friends are from farming backgrounds, so most of them will also be sat on a tractor all day! We talk for hours on the hands-free."
Missing anonymity
The former nurse also admitted she misses the anonymity she once enjoyed as part of her local Young Farmers community. According to Heart.co.uk, she said: "I want to just be that girl in Young Farmers that nobody knows and I'm never that, I'm never going to be that again."
Despite this, Harriet said she thoroughly enjoyed her time on the show and praised Jeremy and his team. She recalled: "It went really well. I was two and a half hours away from home... but it was great and I got to work with the whole team and they were lovely. And it got me into the public eye."
Stepping away from nursing
Becoming a popular face on the show led to what she described as "insane" job offers, so much so that she eventually decided to step away from her nursing career.
She told Hello! Magazine: "When the show first came out, I turned my phone off for a while because I was like, 'This is insane'. I was being recognised by patients, and you've got to be professional [as a] nurse. You could be [at someone's house] for a really serious reason, and someone says 'I saw you on the telly', making it hard to be professional."
She explained: "I was starting to get deals coming in. I couldn't take any more annual leave and I was turning down crazy, big opportunities. I was like, this isn't working anymore."
Harriet first appeared on the show during series four, stepping in for Kaleb Cooper while he was away on tour. She made a brief return in the latest season alongside her farmer boyfriend, James Booth.
Over the past year, she has been giving fans regular glimpses into her life as a farmer on her own YouTube channel, with her latest episode documenting the "chaotic days of barley harvest as we race against the weather". She is also set to release her new book, titled Life on the Farm, next month.
