Matt Baker’s mum was left in tears on new show Our Farm In The Dales as she recounted a horror accident that left her fearing about her home’s future.
Janice badly hurt herself last July after an incident in the sheeps’ pen, needing knee replacement surgery and more help around the land as she recovered.
Matt and his family - wife Nicola and children Luke and Molly - uprooted their lives for one in the countryside that summer, in order to get the farm back on its feet.
The subsequent move was filmed for a new reality series on Channel 4.
In a scene from the series, now available on Channel 4 on Demand, Matt is seen talking to his mum about the incident, with Janice crying as she faced the possibility to getting rid of the sheep completely.
He explained: "The Hampshire Downs that we have bred here for years are big sheep. They are on the large end of the scale as far as sheep are concerned.
“I think, now at the stage that you’re in and what has happened...
“This will be hard to hear as you’ve put so much effort into the flock that we’ve got. I just don’t think that they are the way forward for you now."
Janice agreed, but giving up her beloved sheep was far easier said than done, and she started crying as it came time to choose a new flock.
"It’s quite a strange feeling really, sitting here doing this in the sunshine,” she said.
“It’s the first time I’ve actually had to make a decision because of what’s happened.”
“It’s the right decision. I know it’s the right decision and you reach a time in your life when you think ‘I really can’t do this anymore’,” she added.
“In that respect it’s sad, but in a good way, a fork in the road might mean good things will come from it in a different way.”
Previously speaking about his decision to move, country-loving Matt said that the phone call was ‘one he was dreading’ and the idea to join them at the Durham Hills was an easy one.
“Dad rang up and said ‘Mum’s had a nasty accident down in the sheep pens’ and that was it,” the former One Show host said.
“There was no question about it, we did what we had to do.”
Recalling the incident, Janice said: “I was sorting through the lambs and the ewes ready for clipping. I was just there and a big ewe just stood on my foot and I was just grounded.
“Then they just dived into my leg and then another two just went…the pain was excruciating.”
Reflecting on the impact her accident has had on him, Matt added: “You get to a point in your life where you start looking after your parents, suddenly there’s this role reversal.
“I wanted to be able to spend more time with your family. The timing of it couldn’t have been any better.”
Our Farm In The Dales is available on Channel 4 on Demand.
