Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about how he and his partner Lisa Hogan were left deeply heartbroken after an incident at Diddly Squat Farm.
The Clarkson’s Farm star, now 64, who recently had a heart procedure and was rushed to the hospital, has detailed the 2023 tragedy in his latest book, Diddly Squat: Home to Roost.
In this book, the car enthusiast writes candidly about the various struggles of managing the farm, not just from a financial standpoint but also in terms of practical challenges.
“In the face of uncooperative weather, the relentless realities of the agricultural economy, bureaucracy, a truculent local planning department and the world’s persistent refusal to recognise his ingenuity and genius, our hero’s not beaten yet,” reads the description of the Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller.
Fans of the popular Prime Video series know that Clarkson has faced a significant number of challenges while working on Diddly Squat, including the heartbreaking death of Hogan’s cherished horse, Bertie, which happened just before Christmas last year.
“It wasn’t a fun event, even for me, and I didn’t like it one bit,” he wrote.
“When Lisa’s horse died, I was upset because I could see she was. And because I would have to deal with it.”
Recalling the difficult and distressing moments, Clarkson described finding Bertie lying ‘on his side, in a stream’ on their property.
This followed Clarkson’s earlier remark in season three of the farm show where he said it was the first time he had ever seen Lisa cry.
Their attempt to breed piglets also turned into a nightmare when nearly a dozen piglets kept dying shortly after they were born, one after another.
“It was just a heartbreaking time,” he said.
“I’d never, ever seen Lisa cry, not once, until all this started and was unfolding. It was terrible.”
“It is weird, because you love them and you help birth them and you feed and nurture and care for them. I mean, you don’t say, ‘Let’s buy some pigs and hope they die’.”
The former Top Gear host mentioned that he has always had a fondness for pigs, tracing back to when his mum would gift him toy pigs for Christmas.
He added: “It was absolutely horrific at the time, and we had another calamity with them just the other day, but by and large they’re now going okay.”
“We’re getting more robust now, though, we’re a bit stronger at dealing with it.”
Clarkson went on to explain that what viewers see on Clarkson’s Farm is as real as it gets, unlike his time on The Grand Tour, which recently wrapped up.
“On this show I don’t have to pretend to be someone else.”
“You see, on The Grand Tour, Richard Hammond isn’t as stupid as he’s made out to be, and I’m not as bombastic as I’m made out to be, and James May isn’t quite as boring as he’s made out to be.”
