Love Island’s Will Young has told how girlfriend Jessie Wynter helped him overcome his ‘exhausting’ mental health battle.
The couple began their whirlwind romance after working together on the ITV dating show in January – and have been inseparable ever since.
Instead of returning to Australia after filming the show, Jessie flew to Britain with the popular young shepherd and moved in with him on his family’s 700-acre farm near Aylesbury, Bucks.
During an exclusive interview with MailOnline ahead of the launch of his new book, Will confessed that while many experiences on the farm were wonderful, he also faced some tough challenges.
Will, 24, said: ‘Mental health is a big problem. While it is great, it has its pros and cons. It can be very isolating. Sometimes it’s really good for my mental health, and sometimes not so good.
Tough: Love Island’s Will Young, 24, has opened up about how girlfriend Jessie Wynter, 27, helped him overcome his ‘exhausting’ battle with mental health
In love: Instead of returning to Australia after filming the show, Jessie flew to Britain with the popular young shepherd and moved in with him on his family’s 700-acre farm near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
‘My brother just came home, but for the past eight years I have worked exclusively with my father, which can be a bit challenging at times. I don’t get that younger interaction like people would in a workspace.
Will admitted that many farmers in the industry can struggle with their mental health due to the grueling nature of their work.
He added: ‘The only communication I have is with these animals or with my father, and I don’t always work with my father, so I could just work alone a lot of the time. It gets a little difficult in the sense that you’re not talking to people. It gets a bit lonely.
‘And then there is that side: because farming is a way of life, you are not so free to do what you want, because of course you have work on the farm and you have to take care of the people. animals, you have to treat the animals. The period when you are free, for example a holiday, must be well planned.’
Speaking about how his girlfriend Jessie, 27, helped him through a tough time on the farm, he said: ‘She really helped me. When I came off the show I went into lambing season, which is a mentally exhausting, difficult time.
“You have real highs and you have real lows during that time, so it was just nice to have Jessie by my side and have someone to lean on.
“So yeah, overall it was great to have someone. I wouldn’t necessarily say Jessie gets her hands dirty and helps with the work, but she’s good. She is absolutely wonderful company.”
“She really helped me and helped me on the farm and things like that, which is every farm boy’s dream, you know. Being able to bring someone back to the farm and get them involved. So over the moon with that.’
During an exclusive interview with MailOnline 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 friend Jessie helped him through a tough time on the farm, he said: “She really helped me. When I came off the show I went into lambing season, which is a mentally exhausting, difficult time. It was just nice to have Jessie by my side.”
Will went on to explain that one day he would like to run the farm and raise his children there.
He said: “It is absolutely in the best interests of the family that the farm continues and is passed on to the next generation as soon as my father puts his boots on – which he will never officially do, I think.
“But yes, I would 100 percent love to take over the farm and I would love for my children to be involved in the farm. I’ll probably take the same approach as my dad, where I wouldn’t necessarily burp them, 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 join the dating show because it was a great way to get into farming on a new platform.
Better known as Farmer Will, he has more than 1.9 million followers on the platform and 735,000 followers on Instagram.
The heartthrob often appeared stripped down to his waist as he worked out in the fields and spoke about his passion for farming.
His social media fame came during lockdown, when he started posting videos enthusiastically explaining each stage of sheep farming step by step.
Often accompanied by dance routines, he was seen delivering lambs and shearing sheep while carrying out work that could involve grueling 17-hour days during busy times.
He is part of a growing social media phenomenon called ‘FarmTok’ that exploded during the pandemic.
Will explained: ‘It is absolutely in the best interests of the family that the farm continues and is passed on to the next generation once my father puts his boots on – which he will never officially do, I think.’
Talented: Better known as Farmer Will on TikTok, he has over 1.9 million followers on the platform and 735,000 followers on Instagram
New: For The Love Of Farming: Farmer Will’s Guide To Life In The Fields is released on Thursday, October 19
And now Will is gearing up to release a book about his work, which he described as a “pinch me moment.”
Will said of why he loves farming, “There’s the family side of farming, that generational side. and for me it’s just a way of life.
“It’s completely different from what everyone else does, in the sense that you’re outside all the time, you have fresh air, you’re interacting with these animals and you’re building relationships.
‘I want to bring as much positivity to agriculture as possible. I want to encourage as many people as possible to take the time and visit a farm and that progress is something I would like to do.
‘I want to open up part of the farm to the public, where they can come and see the animals, so they can experience almost a day in the life. We may get glamping pods so people can come and stay on the farm.”
For The Love Of Farming: Farmer Will’s Guide To Life In The Fields is released on Thursday, October 19.