Yorkshire Vet’s Jean Green, 73, left her husband Steve, 96, utterly gobsmacked when she unveiled a brand-new tattoo of a Yorkshire Rose on her arm during the filming of their spin-off series At Home With The Greens.
The cheeky septuagenarian roped in her good mate Peter Wright to assist with her first-ever tattoo adventure. “Stephen had said to his daughter [Sarah, now 40] that if she ever came home with a tattoo, she would be kicked out,” Peter shared about Steve’s strict stance on body ink.
“I don’t think he would have carried that out, he is such a gentle man. But when Jean came home with the tattoo on her arm, his face was a picture.”
You could see in his mind that the old cogs were whirling away in there and he wasn’t quite sure how to take it.” Peter recalled, describing the priceless reaction.
Celebrated as Britain’s oldest farming duo, Steve and Jean have been hitched for over four decades and share a long-standing friendship with Peter. “I got to know them well when I was young,” Peter reminisced.
“They became one of my regular clients when I started work in Thirsk in 1982. I had this banter with Mrs Green right from the word go, and we’ve always had a close relationship. I’ve always loved going to their farm because of the banter we have.”
Jean, known for her vibrant sweatshirts and the jingle-jangle of silver bracelets, is a force to be reckoned with on the show, while Steve may seem more reserved. However, Peter insists there’s more than meets the eye with the veteran farmer, hinting at a depth beneath his calm exterior.
Yorkshire vet Peter opened up about the adorable couple, stating, “Stephen is more of a thinker, but once you get him going he’s quite a conversationalist.
When they were in the first flush of love, he would sit on his tractor out in a field, and he showed me some of the poems he would write to Jean there.
When they renewed their wedding vows after 40 years, he produced one of the poems out of his pocket, which I thought was rather nice.”
Describing them as like “two lovestruck teenagers”, Peter revealed that Steve and Jean hadn’t spent a night apart until Jean’s recent hospital stay during filming.
“They’d never been apart for a single night up until that point and that just typifies their relationship. There’s no cross words whatsoever, but there’s lots of fun and joy along the way. It sounds corny, but it’s true.”
The Greens, who run Stoneybrough Farm in Thirsk, have won hearts on ‘The Yorkshire Vet’, with Peter sharing how Jean relishes in their fame, even keeping tabs on the weekly viewing figures and loving the gifts sent from fans all over the globe.
“We get oven gloves, coffee, biscuits, calendars, little kangaroo pouches, random stuff,” He chuckles, adding, “Jean loves it, she can’t wait to open a parcel – not knowing what is inside is a huge attraction for her.”