Despite his growing fame, Kaleb Cooper stays grounded in the Cotswolds, continuing to manage Diddly Squat Farm alongside Jeremy Clarkson on the hit series Clarkson’s Farm
Clarkson’s Farm favourite Kaleb Cooper has revealed the warning he received from his co-star Jeremy Clarkson, about his newfound fame. The 27-year-old has been working as Jeremy’s farmhand since the show began in 2021, and he immediately became a standout star due to his forthright manner, knowledge, and entertaining exchanges with the presenter.
When initially agreeing to feature in the Amazon Prime Video programme, Kaleb confessed he “didn’t think much of it” – until he discovered exactly how well-known he was becoming.
“Six months into it, the director said to me, ‘Kaleb, you’re gonna be a massive celebrity.’ The day after it came out, I gained a million followers on Instagram,” he revealed.
Upon recognising his popularity, the farmer approached Jeremy, 65, for advice on how to manage the fame.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said: “I went to Jeremy, ‘What do I do?’ He went, ‘Kaleb, you’ve got two options. You go out there and make all the money you can, and you fall off the face of the earth in five years’ time, or you go for longevity.'”
Opting for the second option, Kaleb was given a cautionary warning from Jeremy.
“He said, ‘Right, OK, then you’ve got to be really careful what you do and what you don’t do’.
“So when someone says, ‘Do you want to do an advert for a brand, the money’s great,’ I think, ‘Probably not. I’d rather go sit on the tractor, actually.'”
Kaleb, who has three million Instagram followers, has established his own career since the series began.
The father-of-three has already published four books, including his first children’s title, Kaleb’s Farmyard Tales.
Last year, he also took a break from farming to embark on his debut solo theatre tour, which included 37 dates across the UK.
At the time, Jeremy wrote on social media: “Wishing this silly sod all the very best this evening as he embarks on his nationwide tour. God speed mate. You’re a rock star.”
During Kaleb’s absence however, the presenter confessed to struggling with farming duties alone and later enlisted the help of Harriet Cowan, a 24-year-old nurse and farmer.
Addressing rumours that she had permanently replaced Kaleb, he wrote: “There have been lots of reports that Kaleb has been ‘replaced’ – well, no he hasn’t. He went away on his speaking tour… I made a complete mess of everything and had to bring in… Harriet… until he got back.”
Reflecting on her time working with the ITV star, Harriet later told The Times: “He’s very much like every other farmer I’ve ever met, very much willing to learn.
“He wanted to do well by the farm, he’s still very much grounded and he doesn’t let the fame and all the publicity get to him.”
