Jeremy Clarkson opens up on 'upsetting' loss that devastated partner Lisa Hogan

Jeremy Clarkson has spoken candidly about the distress he and his partner Lisa Hogan felt after losing an animal on their farm just before Christmas in 2023. The ex-Top Gear presenter, at 64, opened up about the emotional toll in his new volume, 'Diddly Squat: Home to Roost', recounting how the event took a heavy emotional toll.

He described the sombre moment of discovering the much-loved horse Bertie "lying on his side, in a stream" on the grounds of their farm. "It wasn't a fun event, even for me, and I didn't like it one bit," he stated.

"When Lisa's horse died, I was upset because I could see she was. And because I would have to deal with it."

Despite the success of his Amazon series 'Clarkson's Farm', the TV personality turned agriculturalist has faced numerous challenges over the past year. Not only has he shared his farming trials on-screen, but he has also documented them in a collection of books, the latest of which offers a frank glimpse into his unexpectedly modest earnings.

He expressed his frustration, saying: "Of course you've heard this all before. Farmers moan. I spoke to an old boy and he said that in his 60 years of working the land, only two harvests were what he'd call very good. This year, though, was noticeably bad. Very bad," Clarkson continued.

Clarkson has openly discussed the financial challenges he is facing, particularly in his farming ventures, reports the Mirror. He revealed the stark increase in his investment costs: "And what made it worse is that I normally invest maybe £40,000 in seeds, fertiliser and sprays. But last year, thanks to the war in Ukraine and the inflation that resulted, I had to invest £110,000.

"And then, having done that, all I could do was hope the weather would be good. Which it wasn't. In my first year of farming I made a profit of £114. That will look like a dream result when I get the figures for this year."

He then spoke about comparative success and his concerns for others within the industry: "It's all right for Adam Henson, because somehow, his stuff grew well, and it's all right for me, because I had Amazon in the background. But for thousands of other farmers it's not alright: 2023 has been a disaster."

Aside from issues on his farm, Clarkson is also grappling with problems at The Farmer's Dog, his pub, highlighting its economic struggles by revealing: "Unfortunately, this has also been hit by financial woes, with Clarkson admitting losing £10 for every customer who walked through the door."