In a deeply moving episode of Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales, airing on Channel 5, the show’s stars Sonny and Capper revealed the emotional toll of losing close friends and spoke candidly about men’s mental health. The series, which follows young farmer Reuben Owen as he manages his family’s farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, has struck a chord with viewers for its authentic portrayal of rural life — and now its honesty about grief and wellbeing.
During Tuesday’s episode, Sonny and Capper stepped away from the farm to visit a memorial site where they reflected on the heartbreaking losses they have endured. Capper shared his experience coping with the deaths of family members and friends from a very young age. “When you lose someone, it’s hard. It’s not nice, so you need somewhere to be where you can just have a moment to yourself,” he said.
Capper recounted the painful memory of losing his best friend, who died in a road accident when he was just 16. “I was with him 20 minutes before he died,” he recalled. “It was a horrible night — wet and dark. He drove there and never made it back home. About half an hour later, I got the phone call… it was nasty.”
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Sonny also opened up, breaking down in tears as he spoke about losing a close friend to suicide. “He was like a brother. I spoke to him the night before, then got the call the next morning. They couldn’t bring him back,” Sonny shared, visibly emotional.
The pair emphasized how important it is to acknowledge that “it’s okay not to be okay.” Capper expressed gratitude for the support from his friends, saying, “I can’t thank you lot enough.” They revealed plans to launch a project centered on vintage motorbikes aimed at raising awareness for men’s mental health, hoping it would honor their late friends’ memories. “I think our pals would be proud of us,” Capper said.
Sonny and Capper’s openness has resonated with viewers, many of whom have praised their bravery on social media. Fans applauded the duo for normalizing conversations about mental health, encouraging others to speak openly about their struggles.
In a poignant tribute, Sonny shared that he keeps a portion of his friend’s ashes with him, a constant reminder of their bond. Capper pays monthly visits to his friend’s grave and has a tattoo over his heart dedicated to his late friend, symbolizing how his memory lives on deeply inside him.
Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales continues to captivate audiences not only with its authentic farming life but also by shedding light on important issues like grief and mental health — proving that sometimes the strongest people are those willing to be vulnerable.