There's never a dull moment for Our Yorkshire Farm star Amanda Owen, between raising her nine children, juggling life on a farm and writing books. But she still finds time for a This Morning appearance, and on Monday when she sat down on the famous sofa, she made a joke about "social services" after it was revealed that her nine-year-old will be sleeping in a cupboard in their new home, Anty Johns.
The Yorkshire Shepherdess appeared on the ITV daytime show alongside her daughters Clemmie, 10 and Nancy, nine, to give viewers an update on the progress at their renovation project, Anty Johns. As well as telling everyone that they now have a water supply at the property, it was revealed that there are plans for a cupboard bed on site. Nancy was quick to claim that she'll be sleeping in it, saying: "I want the strangest bed. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a cupboard?" In fact, she sounded rather excited about the prospect!
While I raised an eyebrow at the sound of a cupboard bed at first, it transpires late medieval furniture often featured 'box beds' which look just like a cupboard. A cosy and innovative way to make the most of every inch of their converted farmhouse!
© LORNA ROACHTo that Amanda quipped, "social services," and laughed, as did presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley. Although this is a light-hearted moment, Amanda has had a serious run-in with social services in the past.
Amanda's social services comments
"I got a yellow flag from social services... I believe there is a happy medium whereby you do let the kids climb trees," she revealed while speaking at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts.
"I don't see myself as a perfect parent," she added. "Yes, they haven't got harnesses on or hard hats, but I believe there are some lessons to be learned that don't necessarily result in instant death but actually learn your own parameters."
© InstagramAmanda's parenting has previously come under fire online too, but in an exclusive interview with me in 2025, she revealed that she looks inwards to know if she's doing a good job.
© Instagram"I have my moments of absolute crappiness, you know, I get the letters home, no PE kit, wrong shoes, haven't filled in the form, sent them with pond water in. Yeah, yeah, all the rest of it," she admits. "I think you have to get to a point where you have to assess yourself and say, 'Am I happy with who I am? Am I happy with how my children are?', and then after that, do your thing," she says. "[The opinions] are not actually anything out of the ordinary. It's just there that we seem to be far more shouty about everything now."
In the same interview, she added: "I am not a helicopter parent. I can guide and I can sort of encourage, but I just like to see their characters come through, and I like to see what they can achieve."
