Despite his newfound fame, Kaleb Cooper remains in the Cotswolds and continues managing Diddly Squat Farm with Jeremy Clarkson, as seen on the hit series Clarkson’s Farm
Kaleb Cooper has revealed the warning he received from his Clarkson’s Farm co-star Jeremy Clarkson, when he rose to fame on the hit series. The 27-year-old joined as Jeremy’s farmhand and quickly became a breakout star thanks to his blunt honesty, expertise, and humorous back-and-forth with the presenter.
When first agreeing to appear on the Amazon Prime Video show, Kaleb admitted he “didn’t think much of it” – until he realised just how famous 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 shared.
Realising how popular he had become, the farmer turned to Jeremy, 65, for guidance on how to handle life in the spotlight.
He told The Sunday Times: “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.’”
Choosing the latter, Kaleb received a 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.’”
Now with over three million Instagram followers, Kaleb has built a solo career beyond the series.
The father-of-three has so far published four books, most recently his first children’s title Kaleb’s Farmyard Tales.
He also stepped away from the fields to embark on his debut solo theatre tour last year, which included 37 dates across the UK.
At the time, Jeremy teased his move away from the farm on social media, writing: “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, the presenter admitted he struggled to cope with farming duties alone, and brought in Harriet Cowan, a 24-year-old nurse and farmer, to lend a hand.
Addressing talk that she had permanently replaced Kaleb at the time, 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.”
