Amanda Owen has admitted that she « just shut down » as she opened up about a devastating health battle and the heavy « price » she’s had to pay for a life in the spotlight. Amanda, also known as the Yorkshire Shepherdess, shared candid insights into her arduous battle with an eating disorder in the wake of a significant relationship upheaval.
Known for her appearances in Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm and Our Farm Next Door, the mum-of-nine lives at the remote 2,000-acre Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale, Yorkshire. Despite no longer living with her former partner, Clive, Amanda continues to operate the farm and take care of the children alongside her ex, with whom she split in 2022 after a marriage lasting 22 years.
In a recent interview, Amanda revealed that she suffered from her eating disorder in the aftermath of her split and has only just seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
It wouldn’t be the only struggle that the mum-of-nine has faced in recent times. She also admitted that four distinct mental health complaints were all « smooshed into one » alongside the eating disorder.
Amanda told the Mail: « I just shut down. Physical and mental health are intertwined and anxiety, depression, paranoia, agoraphobia and an eating disorder were all smooshed into one. »
To make matters worse, Amanda was forced to endure the cruel taunts of trolls over her weight loss, noting one particularly unkind remark that involved being called a « bag of bones », and continues to face issues with trolling.
She added: « I remember sitting in the sheep pens in the dark, just hiding. It’s the price you pay for living your life in the open, for being observed. It’s like having a post mortem before you’re dead. »
Amanda elaborated further on the eating disorder, confessing that she had « always had issues » with eating and food, something she says became « amplified » as a result of her pregnancies.
She explained the adverse impact of stardom on her health. Amanda also revealed that the « media intrusion got to me », as she detailed how the uncertainty of what might occur next impacted both her physical and mental health.
Indeed, Amanda revealed that she was to and fro from the hospital, describing it as a « critical time », and, in a shocking admission, Clive said there had been nights when he was scared that Amanda wouldn’t be there the following day.
The TV star then recounted how she’d experienced a problem swallowing and how she’d vomited blood one night. She added: « The eating disorder has always bubbled up beneath the surface but I never imagined it would happen to that degree. »
However, in an update that will serve as welcome relief to fans, Amanda added that she’s, thankfully, « out of the woods », and, although she noted that you « have your moments », she’s « here to tell the tale ».
In related news, Amanda also recently shared the experience of her first childbirth and how « it all went wrong » as she ended up in hospital, despite planning a home birth, at a time when the UK was in the grips of the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Speaking to Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time, she said: « Yeah, and it all went wrong, and she got stuck and I ended up having to go into hospital, literally, with a baby completely stuck.
« I didn’t know that your body goes into a permanent contraction, but it does. It’s not good. I had the caesarean, and of course it was, like, well, you know, now natural birth could be an issue. »
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