Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher pays heartbreaking tribute to late soap icon

05 September 2023 , 16:30

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Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher pays heartbreaking tribute to late soap icon

Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher paid a heartfelt tribute to legendary actor Clive Hornby after receiving some old pictures of the pair of them together over the years.

Clive, who played Jack Sugden in the ITV soap, formed a close bond with Kelvin, who played his adopted son Andy Sugden. But sadly, after Clive headed to Spain, he passed away in 2008. And so in memory of Clive, who he named as his "genuine guardian", Kelvin penned his thoughts about the late star.

Kelvin waved goodbye to his village castmates in 2016 having starred as Andy Sugden for 20 years. Now, 15 years after Clive's death and seven years on from his Emmerdale departure, Kelvin has looked back at his time on the soap and paid a special tribute to his soap dad. In the post shared on Instagram, which consisted of a throwback snap of Kelvin, Clive and other Emmerdale cast, Kelvin said: "A lovely friend from Emmerdale sent me some lovely pictures the other day. If you'd have told me then what I would be doing now I probably wouldn't believe you."

Kelvin and Clive were incredibly close as they played father and son on Emmerdale (Yorkshire Television)

Kelvin Fletcher played Andy and left the soap in 2016 (ITV)

He added: "As for Clive I really was in awe of him. He was a mentor, a friend and in many ways a genuine guardian. Not just of me but everyone at Emmerdale. He was immensely proud of his role and the show's stature and the connection it had to so many people. My character wanted to be just like him when he grew up and I guess a little bit of me did too."

Since Kelvin left the ITV soap he went on to appear in Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 and was crowned winner. Soon after, he then turned his attention away from the spotlight and bought his own farm in the Peak District last year. Having zero experience of running a farm, Kelvin took the opportunity to document his farm life with his own BBC show called Kelvin's Big Farming Adventure.

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Since then he has kept his fans in the loop via his Instagram account. But now the married father-of-four, 39, is returning to the small screen on ITV. The series is called Fletcher's Family Farm and it will follow the star, his wife and his four children as they manage their farm.

Kelvin played Jack's son Andy Sugden for 20 years in Emmerdale

The eight-part documentary will show the family's highs and lows as they battle against the elements to get their farm functional. Speaking about the show, Kelvin told The Sun: "When we embarked on this new chapter of our lives, we couldn't have imagined what an extraordinary journey it would be. Since the arrival of our two newborn twins last year, it has been even more of a rollercoaster ride."

He added: "Navigating farming life with four small kids is certainly a challenge but one full of laughter and unforgettable memories." In the joint statement both Kelvin and his wife Liz added: "We are so excited to invite viewers into our lives like never before – we hope to share the beauty and unpredictable joy of life on our farm."

And ITV's commissioner Leanne Clarke said at the time: "We are thrilled to have Kelvin, Liz and the whole family showing us the ropes of what it takes to run a working farm. I'm sure it will prove to be a thoroughly entertaining adventure for them and our audience."

Lucretia Munro