Kelvin Fletcher reveals ‘surreal’ moment after moving family to Finland

Lauren Morris
·2-min read
Kelvin Fletcher has shared a 'surreal' moment with his family in Finland
-Credit:ITV


Kelvin Fletcher has opened up about moving his family of six to Finland for a festive edition of Fletcher's Family Farm. The former Emmerdale star heads to the Scandinavian country for the latest episode of his ITV reality show, seeing how wife Liz and kids Marnie, Milo, Mateusz and Maximus tackle the cold.

While the soap star was prepared for the Arctic conditions, he wasn't expecting to be recognised for his Emmerdale role. Speaking to The Sun's TV Mag, Kelvin said: "We were told that Emmerdale was a very popular programme in Finland.

Kelvin Fletcher and wife Liz take their family to Finland in Fletchers' Family Farm at Christmas
Kelvin Fletcher and wife Liz take their family to Finland in Fletchers' Family Farm at Christmas -Credit:ITV

"You never know how true that claim is but it turns out that it is a very, very popular programme there. A lot of people do watch it and as a result I was recognised."

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He added that the Finnish tourist board was very familiar with his work. "So that was a bit strange, from a previous life, if you like. I’m not sure where they are up to.

"Normally with overseas territories there’s a bit of a delay so whether they are a year or 10 years behind who knows? But the guys did say they had seen me as a kid. That was a bit surreal."

Kelvin played Andy Sugden on Emmerdale for 20 years until his exit in 2016 and now lives a very different life on his 120-acre farm in the Peak District. The 40-year-old now looks after 100 sheep, 30 pigs, 10 horses, six chickens, a cat and Ginger the dog with his wife Liz.

Kelvin and Liz have been married since 2015 and share four kids together
Kelvin and Liz have been married since 2015 and share four kids together -Credit:Getty Images

Despite a rocky start to their relationship, which saw the couple briefly split in 2010 after Kelvin received a barrage of flirty texts from fans, Kelvin says that he's happier than ever. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: "I think for me, I personally don't want to seek any sort of validation elsewhere. I know how valued we are as a family and what we do in our small family farm, and I share that with every other family farm.

"You take great pride in producing food and having a real acknowledgement towards nature, towards the habitat. You're a custodian of the land, and it's a privilege."

After their short time apart, Kelvin and Liz reunited to work through their issues. Speaking to The Sun about how Liz dealt with his romantic scenes on Emmerdale, Kelvin said: "I do ring her up and say, 'I'm kissing so-and-so today' and make a joke about it. That's how we deal with it. But Liz won't watch the show because she gets too jealous. To me, though, it's just work."