Love Island’s Will Young has opened up about how girlfriend Jessie Wynter helped him overcome his ‘draining’ mental health battle.
The couple began their whirlwind romance after pairing up on the ITV dating show in January – and have been inseparable ever since.
Instead of returning home to Australia after filming the show, Jessie flew to Britain with the popular young shepherd and moved in with him at his family’s 700 acre farm near Aylesbury, Bucks.
During an exclusive interview with ahead of the launch of his new book, Will confessed that while many experiences on the farm have been great, he has also faced some tough challenges.
Will, 24, said: ‘Mental health is a big one. Although it’s great, it has its pros and cons. It can be very isolating. Sometimes it is really good for my mental health, but then sometimes it’s not as well.
Tough: Love Island’s Will Young, 24, has opened up about how girlfriend Jessie Wynter, 27, helped him overcome his ‘draining’ mental health battle
Loved-up: Instead of returning home to Australia after filming the show, Jessie flew to Britain with the popular young shepherd and moved in with him at his family’s 700 acre farm near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
‘My brother has just come home, but for the past 8 years I’ve solely worked with my dad, which at times can be a bit challenging. I’m not getting that younger interaction where people would in a workspace.
Will admitted that a lot of farmers in the industry can struggle with their mental health due to the gruelling nature of their job.
He added: ‘The only communication I have is with these animals or with my dad and I’m not always working with my dad, so a lot of the time I could just be working on my own. It does get a little bit tough in the sense that you’re not talking to people. It gets a bit lonely.
‘And then you’ve also got that side of, because farming is a way of life, you’re not as free to do what you want because obviously you’ve got work on the farm and you’ve got to look after the animals, you’ve got to treat the animals. The period of times that you do get off, let’s say holiday, it’s got to be very planned out.’
Speaking about how his girlfriend Jessie, 27, helped him through a difficult time on the farm, he said: ‘She’s really helped me. When I came off the show, I went into lambing season which is a very mentally draining, tough time.
‘You have real highs and you have real lows during that period, so it was just nice having Jessie by my side and being able to lean on someone.
‘So yeah, in general it’s been great having someone. I wouldn’t necessarily say Jessie gets her hands dirty and helps with the work, but she’s good. She’s definitely great company.’
‘She’s really helped me and helped out on the farm and everything like that, which is a farmer boy’s dreams, you know. Being able to bring someone back to the farm and for them to get him involved. So over the moon with that.’
During an exclusive interview with ahead of the launch of his new book, Will said: ‘Mental health is a big one. It can be very isolating on the farm’
Speaking about how his girlfriend Jessie helped him through a difficult time on the farm, he said: ‘She’s really helped me. When I came off the show, I went into lambing season which is a very mentally draining, tough time. It was just nice having Jessie by my side’
Will went on to explain that one day he would like to run the farm and raise his kids there.
He said: ‘It’s definitely in the family’s interest for the farm to carry on and be passed down to the next generation once my dad puts up his boots – which I don’t think he officially will ever do.
‘But yeah, 100 percent I’d love to take on the farm and I’d love my kids to be involved in the farm. I’ll probably take the same approach as my dad where I wouldn’t necessarily make them farm, but let them know it’s always an option.’
Will, from Buckinghamshire, was already TikTok’s most famous farmer when he was approached by ITV to appear on Love Island.
He said he ‘jumped at the chance’ to go on the dating show as it was a great way to get farming out there on a new platform.
Better known as Farmer Will, he has more than 1.9 million followers on the platform as well as 735,000 followers on Instagram.
The heart-throb famously often appeared stripped down to the waist as he worked out in the fields and spoke of his passion for agriculture.
His social media fame came during lockdown when he began posting videos in which he enthusiastically explained step by step each stage of sheep farming.
Often accompanied by dance routines he was seen delivering lambs and shearing sheep as he carried out work which could involve gruelling 17 hour days during busy times.
He is part of a growing social media phenomena dubbed ‘FarmTok’ which exploded during the pandemic.
Will explained: ‘It’s definitely in the family’s interest for the farm to carry on and be passed down to the next generation once my dad puts up his boots – which I don’t think he officially will ever do.’
Talented: Better known as Farmer Will on TikTok, he has more than 1.9 million followers on the platform as well as 735,000 followers on Instagram
New: For The Love Of Farming: Farmer Will’s Guide To Life In The Fields is out on Thursday October 19
And now, Will is gearing up to release a book all about his work which he described as a ‘pinch me moment’.
Speaking on the reasons he loves farming, Will said: ‘You’ve got the family side of farming, that generational side and for me, it’s just a way of life.
‘It’s completely different to what everyone else does in the sense that you’re outside all the time, you’ve got fresh air, you’re dealing with and forming relationships with these animals.
‘I want to bring as much positivity around farming as possible. I want to encourage as many people to take the time out and visit a farm and that moving forward is something that I would love to do.
‘I want to open up a section of the farm for the public to come and see the animals and have almost like a day in the life. We potentially might get glamping pods so that people can come and stay on the farm.’
For The Love Of Farming: Farmer Will’s Guide To Life In The Fields is out on Thursday October 19.