Emmerdale actor Jeff Hordley has opened up about his mental health, revealing that gardening helps him whenever he feels stressed or anxious. Speaking to fans on Instagram, he said: "Whenever I might be feeling stressed or anxious or have any worries about anything, I walk away from here, and I feel a lot better."
Giving his followers a glimpse of the allotment he shares with his wife, Zoe Henry, he continued: "It's just like doing any job, really. It's a nice place to come and de-stress and unwind. Never thought I'd say that."
A place to unwind
Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle in the ITV soap, added: "I'm so into music, I still am, and going out, but this is my mecca. And this is the place where I like to go and unwind."
Jeff and Zoe, who appears as Rhona Goskirk, have worked on their allotment for years. Back in 2020, Zoe appeared on Loose Women, where she explained that having an outdoor space had allowed her and her husband to navigate the ups and downs of his Crohn's diagnosis.
Managing Crohn's disease
"He was diagnosed when he was about 18, so he was 23 when I met him, and it's sort of changed our lives," she explained. "There's a lot to be said about mental health and having your hands in the soil - that's a big one for me. For Jeff, it's the health benefits of eating what we've grown. It's great to share with my kids as well ...not that they love it, they hate it. But I'm working on that!"
According to the NHS, "Crohn's disease is a long-term condition where part of your gut becomes inflamed." Currently, there is no cure; however, there are medications to manage the condition. In Jeff's case, Zoe clarified that he underwent an operation as well as using medication.
Early signs and current health
Back in 2009, Jeff spoke with Express.co.uk about some of the early signs that preceded his diagnosis. "Even though I try to avoid foods that upset my digestive system, such as coffee and Chinese takeaways, I was still sick and tired, and I kept losing weight," he said. "I was a drama student in Manchester, and sometimes I had to miss lectures because I was too tired. I even had to drop out of my final year plays."
More recently, Jeff confirmed that he'd managed to get a handle on his diagnosis, and currently, does not take any medication for Crohn's. Appearing on the Another Day Another Collar podcast last year, he revealed: "Certainly, like you were saying about, we eat very much seasonally; we eat from our allotment, from definitely June through to now. So that's how I've managed to do it and exercise and things like that. I've managed to avoid any medication, which not every Crohn's sufferer manages to do, but that's the way I've managed it."
