Former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher has opened up about his significant anxieties regarding his children's participation in the prestigious Royal Cheshire Show, where his family is set to showcase a bull calf.
The reality TV star, who now runs a farm in Cheshire with his wife Liz, expressed his concerns in a candid episode of their show, Fletchers' Family Farm. He revealed that the unpredictable nature of their calf is causing him to worry about his kids entering the show ring.
Parental Worries in the Show Ring
Kelvin Fletcher's primary fear centres on pushing his children too far out of their comfort zone. He admitted to feeling nervous about the prospect of his young handlers being pulled around by the animal. "We don't want them pulling the kids around," he said. "When it's the kids, it does make me a little bit nervous. You've got a responsibility as an adult, as a parent, to work out how much you push them out of their comfort zone."
This will be the family's second attempt at showing a bull calf at the event, having first showcased their animals a mere six weeks after moving to the farm.
A Debilitating Injury and an Unprepared Understudy
Compounding the pre-show stress, Fletcher is dealing with a significant personal setback. A scan confirmed he has torn his bicep, throwing his own participation into doubt and forcing him to find a replacement.
The camera then turns to his wife, Liz, who becomes the reluctant understudy. When asked if she feels confident, Liz expressed her own trepidation, revealing she now feels "underprepared more than last year." She had anticipated a "lovely day at the Cheshire show with the kids, no pressure, no worries," but now faces the prospect of leading the calf in the ring herself.
Heatwave and Health Woes Compound the Crisis
The family's challenges extend beyond the show ring. A ongoing heatwave is severely impacting their farm operations. Fletcher reported that the hot weather is damaging their oat crop and proving dangerous for their flock of sheep due to a lack of shade.
On the day of the Royal Cheshire Show, their hopes were dealt another blow. Fellow farmers observed that their calf was struggling to breathe and potentially had a touch of pneumonia, casting further doubt on their chances of success.
Fletchers' Family Farm airs at 2:20pm on Sunday, on ITV1 and ITVX.
