Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz have spoken of their disappointment after their plans to move to the United States were dashed, leaving the couple “gutted.”
The dynamic duo, who star in the hit ITV show Fletcher’s Family Farm, had hoped to spend at least two years in California, exploring opportunities as actors far from the UK spotlight. Kelvin, best known for his 20-year stint as Andy Sugden on Emmerdale and as the 2019 winner of Strictly Come Dancing, explained how the idea first took root.
Speaking on the Sliding Doors podcast, Kelvin said: “We decided, I think it was mid 2018, we spent about three or four months in California, in LA predominantly. At the time, just myself, Liz and Marnie. That was our kind of family setup, I was crossfitting every morning at 6, 7 and was like ‘this is the life.’
“And then it was just that thing of ‘let’s just move here’ and we didn’t have any jobs at the time. We were working actors, and it was just like, ‘let’s just do it.’ Now, those decisions I admit, for some people, it’s like ‘you can’t just decide that’ but we can. If I want to go and do something, I’ll go and do it.
“If I’m 20, 30, 40, 60, it’s sometimes easier said than done, but I’m proof in the pudding that they’re the decisions that I make, and if I make a decision, then I’ll go ahead and do it. If it’s what I want to do, then I will do it. But Liz is the same.”
The couple spent a year planning and experimenting with the idea before submitting their visa applications. Their plan was to try Hollywood, even if that meant working as Uber drivers or in cafes, simply to experience life in a new country.
“First and foremost, try it as actors in Hollywood, you know, every cliché, but that’s what you want to try and do. I’ll work as an Uber driver. I’ll work in a cafe just to reinvent myself, just to go somewhere. Nobody knows us and just see what it is. Why not?
“Because in our 40s, 50s, 60s, when we look back, I think ‘I would have loved to have lived abroad.’ Well, yeah, I didn’t want that to happen. So, like I say, I’ve got a big fear of regret, and I don’t have a big fear of failing. I don’t want to fail, I don’t set out to fail, but I’m prepared to fail if need be,” Kelvin explained.
However, timing was not on their side. Kelvin said the success of Strictly Come Dancing created a surge of opportunities in the UK, prompting them to delay their move. Then the pandemic struck, and US visa restrictions put the plan out of reach.
“There were no alien workers for the foreseeable, I think, for at least 18 months, you’re not going to be allowed into the country, so that was kind of the American dream over,” Kelvin said.
Liz admitted how difficult it was emotionally and financially: “We were gutted, we invested so much money in the visa. This was the plan, we painted the house white, all the carpets were gray so we could sell the house straight away.”
Despite the setback, Kelvin reflected on their situation with pragmatism. “We can sit and cry about it, but ultimately it is what it is,” he said.
Kelvin and Liz, who live with their four children on a farm in the Peak District, have focused their energy on UK projects instead. Alongside Fletcher’s Family Farm, they have also released their first book, Fletcher’s on the Farm, sharing insights into their family life and farm adventures.
