Reuben Owen and girlfriend Jess Ellwood have officially taken the next big step in their romance after moving in together — but the young farming couple say their relationship now comes with an adorable extra member.
The stars of Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales revealed they’ve fallen completely in love with a tiny lamb called Fluff, who has quickly become the centre of attention on the farm. The three-week-old lamb sadly broke her leg after her mother accidentally stood on her shortly after birth, leading Jess and Reuben to take her in permanently.
Jess explained: “We have a new pet. This is Fluff. She’s quite precious. Lambing can be tough… lots can go wrong.”
She added that the little lamb has already become part of the household, saying: “She’s going to be our pet sheep now — she’ll live with us forever. She’s even been in the house, sleeping on a blanket.”
Reuben admitted he’s just as obsessed with Fluff as Jess is, joking that the lamb feels more like their child than a pet. “She’s so cute. When she sees Jess her little face absolutely lights up. She’s starting to get to know her name now too,” he said.
The loved-up farming pair, both 22, first met at a Young Farmers convention in 2024 before going public with their relationship later that year. Now Reuben has fully settled into life at Jess’ family farm in Cumbria after gradually spending more and more nights there.
“I used to come down of a night to see Jess and I just wouldn’t want to leave her,” he said. “It started with a toothbrush, and now my pants are in the washing machine and my dinner is on the table. Now I’m all in.”
Despite their growing TV fame, the couple insist their life together is far from glamorous, with 5am starts, exhausting lambing shifts and farming chaos becoming part of everyday life. Reuben even recalled one hilarious disaster where they both attempted to catch a sheep at the same time — only to crash into each other and let the animal escape completely.
“There isn’t much partying. More 5am starts,” Reuben admitted. “But in each other, we’ve found someone who really gets the beauty of farming life.”
The new series of Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales premieres on Channel 5 on May 5 and will follow the couple balancing romance, family life and the relentless pressures of farming — with plenty more adorable Fluff moments expected along the way.