In a touching statement, Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher paid homage to the late Clive Hornby, calling him a “true protector.”
Given his 20-year involvement with the program, Kelvin’s role as farmer Andy Sugden may be most remembered by Emmerdale viewers.
He collaborated with actor Clive, who portrayed his on-screen father Jack Sugden, there.
Before Jack traveled to Spain in 2008 and passed away in 2009 off-screen, the two collaborated closely.
Kelvin won Strictly Come Dancing after leaving Emmerdale in 2016, and in 2022 he purchased his own farm in the Peak District.
On his own BBC program Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure, he chronicled his path from having no prior experience farming to becoming a proficient farm hand.
He has since informed followers via the farm’s Instagram feed.
On this Instagram profile, Kelvin posted an homage to his late co-star along with a photo of the two of them shearing a sheep while filming the program.
He commented, “The other day a nice pal from Emmerdale brought me some old images.”
“I probably wouldn’t believe you if you told me then what I’d be doing now!”
He continued by describing how working with Clive had changed him and how, when he was older, he wished to be just like him.
“As for Clive, I was incredibly impressed by him. He served as a companion, mentor, and in many ways a true guardian. not only of myself, but of everyone at Emmerdale. He was incredibly pleased of both his performance and the show’s prominence and popularity.
“I believe a small portion of me did too,” the character I played said, “wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up.”
On a new ITV program that will debut this fall, Kelvin plans to continue chronicling his experience as a farmer.
Along with his wife, Liz, and their four children, Kelvin will appear in Fletcher’s Family Farm as they continue to learn how to run a farm in the Peak District.
