Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz have voiced their disappointment after their plans to relocate to the United States collapsed, leaving the pair "gutted". The duo now star in the hit ITV show Fletchers' Family Farm, which documents farming life with their four children in the Peak District.
Sheep birth tragedy on the farm
In a recent episode of their ITV show, the couple faced a heartbreaking loss when one of their sheep struggled during the birth of her lambs. The pair were compelled to intervene and assist the sheep in delivering her second lamb, after the first one tragically died.
"It just feels dead," Kelvin said as he pulled the lamb from its mother. A visibly emotional Liz responded: "That was hard because you feel like you're going to break their legs, but you have to get them out. It is just really sad to see them like that, all floppy and....it's horrible."
"It's heartbreaking to see that and witness that," Kelvin said. "Should we have got involved 15 minutes ago? Would that have made a difference? But there is a fine line between shoving your hand up every two seconds to letting nature take its course."
He added: "It's never a good sign the first one being like that, though." The situation appeared to deteriorate further with the second lamb, as the sheep showed no desire to push, prompting Liz to remark: "She has given up."
California dream falls apart
This isn't the couple's first experience of heartbreak, however, as Kelvin, famous for his two-decade stint as Andy Sugden on Emmerdale and as the 2019 Strictly Come Dancing winner, had to deal with his "fear of regret" after his and Liz's hopes to relocate to California fell through.
Speaking on the Sliding Doors podcast, Kelvin said: "We decided - I think it was mid-2018 - to spend about three or four months in California, in LA predominantly. At the time, it was just myself, Liz and Marnie. That was our kind of family setup. I was CrossFitting every morning at 6 or 7 and was like, 'this is the life.'"
"And then it was just that thing of, 'let's just move here.' We didn't have any jobs at the time, we were working actors, and it was just like, 'let's just do it.' Now, those decisions, I admit, for some people it's like, 'you can't just decide that,' but we can. If I want to go and do something, I'll go and do it."
"If I'm 20, 30, 40, 60 - it's sometimes easier said than done - but I'm proof of the pudding that they're the decisions that I make. If I make a decision, then I'll go ahead and do it. If it's what I want to do, then I will do it. But Liz is the same."
The duo then spent a year plotting and testing the concept before lodging their visa applications. Their goal was to take a punt on Hollywood, even if it involved driving for Uber or serving in cafés, purely for the excitement of experiencing life in another nation.
He added: "First and foremost, try it as actors in Hollywood - you know, every cliché - but that's what you want to try and do. I'll work as an Uber driver. I'll work in a cafe, just to reinvent myself, just to go somewhere nobody knows us and just see what it is. Why not?."
"Because in our 40s, 50s, 60s, when we look back, I think, 'I would have loved to have lived abroad.' Well, yeah, I didn't want that to happen. So, like I say, I've got a big fear of regret, and I don't have a big fear of failing. I don't want to fail, I don't set out to fail, but I'm prepared to fail if need be," Kelvin added.
Pandemic and visa limits end the plan
Nevertheless, circumstances worked against them. Kelvin disclosed that Strictly Come Dancing's triumph triggered a flood of UK opportunities, causing them to delay their move.
Then the pandemic struck, and American visa limitations eventually made their scheme impossible.
"There were no foreign workers allowed for the foreseeable future - I think for at least 18 months you weren't going to be allowed into the country - so that was kind of the American dream over for us," Kelvin said.
Liz also touched on the emotional and financial toll, stating: "We were gutted. We invested so much money in the visa. This was the plan - we painted the house white, all the carpets were grey so we could sell the house straight away."
Despite the setback, Kelvin provided a practical viewpoint. "We can sit and cry about it, but ultimately it is what it is," he said.
