Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan has spoken candidly about the challenges of sudden fame, admitting that adjusting to life in the spotlight has been bittersweet. The 25-year-old, who first appeared in series four as a stand-in for Kaleb Cooper, has seen her Instagram following explode from around 8,000 to 663,000.
Fame brings job offers and personal trade-offs
Her popularity has led to a flood of job offers, but she admitted the opportunities have come alongside tough personal trade-offs, including leaving behind her nursing career and navigating an unexpected level of public attention. Now juggling a packed schedule, Harriet works on a range of projects, but her main focus remains full-time farming, which she regularly documents on her YouTube channel.
She has described how isolating farm work can be day to day, explaining that long shifts often mean spending hours alone. "Being a farmer can be quite lonely so catching up with friends is important," she said, adding that she's regularly on a tractor by herself for around 12 hours.
Missing anonymity and the nursing career
Harriet said she relies on friends in similar jobs for company, with many of them also spending their days working solo. "We talk for hours on the hands-free," she told Closer Magazine. The former nurse has also spoken about missing the anonymity she once had, particularly within her local Young Farmers community. She said she missed being "that girl in Young Farmers that nobody knows" – but accepted that life has now changed permanently.
Discussing the aftermath of the show and leaving behind her nursing career, she said she initially turned her phone off because the attention felt overwhelming. "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.
Book release and season six uncertainty
"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." As well as documenting life on the farm on her YouTube channel, Harriet is also set to release her debut book, Life on the Farm: Resilience, family and the realities of a farming life.
It's currently not known if she will be making an appearance in series six, which is currently being filmed. In a recent Instagram post, Jeremy announced: "I am delighted to tell you season 6 of Clarkson's Farm is currently being filmed, it's in production. And that's particularly good news for me because, well if you know you know. And if you don't know, you need to watch season 5."
