A woman who ditched her townie lifestyle to run a farm has insisted she has a ‘passion for proving people wrong and breaking stereotypes’ after revealing jealous trolls have accused her of ‘sleeping with people to get the job’.
Hannah Jackson, 28, moved from the Wirral to a farm near Carlisle, Cumbria, eight years ago and has racked up 65,000 followers by sharing her rural lifestyle online, as well as in her book, Call Me Red, which is now a Sunday Times best seller.
She appeared on This Morning today to explain how her mission is to ‘prove people wrong’, and be a role model to show ‘you can be whoever you want to be and we’re not defined by these society stereotypes that are drilled into us from so young’.
It comes after Hannah – who is known as the Red Shepherdess due to her shocking crimson hair – revealed how she’s been accused online of ‘sleeping with people to get the job on the farm’.
Hannah Jackson (pictured), 28, moved from the Wirral to a farm near Carlisle, Cumbria, eight years ago and has racked up 65,000 followers by sharing her rural lifestyle online, as well as in her book, Call Me Red, which is now a Sunday Times best seller
She appeared on This Morning today to explain how her mission is to ‘prove people wrong’, and be a role model to show ‘you can be whoever you want to be and we’re not defined by these society stereotypes that are drilled into us from so young’
Speaking to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Hannah said: ‘When I first started farming, I had so many different stereotypes I had to break.
‘I was a Scouser, I was a townie, I had red hair, I’d never set foot on a commercial farm before – but I always think it’s one of those things, if you’ve got a dream and you want to make it a reality, you’ll do whatever it takes.
‘I rang so many doors, I sent so many emails, I applied for so many jobs that I wasn’t even ready for, and I just hoped for that first break, which came as a week in Keswick, and I stayed in there for nine months and never left Cumbria from there.’
Hannah said that ‘on the whole’ her industry has been very supportive of her journey – but that some ‘insecure and jealous’ trolls have questioned her role.
‘The agriculture industry is so tight-knit and they always look out for each other so much, but it’s quite a hard industry to break into,’ admitted the shepherdess.
It comes after Hannah (pictured) – who is known as the Red Shepherdess due to her shocking crimson hair – revealed how she’s been accused online of ‘sleeping with people to get the job on the farm’
Speaking to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Hannah (pictured with her animals) said: ‘When I first started farming, I had so many different stereotypes I had to break’
‘I’ve had a few times when I’ve had trolls from within the industry, which has been kind of horrible at times, but they are a minority, and it’s just taken me a while to learn how to use that as determination rather than get me down.’
When asked whether it is her gender or her background which is picked upon by the critics, Hannah said: ‘I think it’s a combination of everything.
‘I think I did kind of jump up into the industry quite quickly, but I mean, that’s only because I threw myself into every opportunity and went for everything.
‘I’m one of those people that says “yes” to everything, so I don’t know if it’s insecurity or jealousy but it’s just one of those things.
‘And a lot of people say “well you’re in the public eye and that’s just what you have to get used to”,’ she continued.
Hannah (pictured) said that ‘on the whole’ her industry has been very supportive of her journey – but that some ‘insecure and jealous’ trolls have questioned her role
Speaking about her book, Hannah (pictured right, with one of her pigs) explained how it focuses on ‘mindset, determination, breaking stereotypes and proving people wrong’ because that is what she’s ‘really passionate about’
‘That’s why I like to talk about things so openly now, not for self-pity, not to shame those people, but to make it so we don’t normalise that people are trolled or bullied online.’
Speaking about her book, Hannah explained how it focuses on ‘mindset, determination, breaking stereotypes and proving people wrong’ because that is what she’s ‘really passionate about’.
She said: ‘[I’m passionate about] being as much as a role model I can, that no matter what gender, what sexuality, what background, what religion you are, you can be whoever you want to be and we’re not defined by these society stereotypes that are drilled into us from so young.’
Last week, Hannah revealed how ‘men who are jealous of her success’ have accused her of ‘sleeping with people to get the job’ and have even falsely reported her to animal welfare.
This Morning presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond today, speaking with Hannah
On her farm she has 250 sheep, goats, a pony, pigs, chickens, ducks and dogs. She is pictured on a tractor
‘I’ve had people report my sheep. I’ve literally had animal inspectors come out to the farm to inspect them, to say they are absolutely fine. It’s then been reported down to them as a personal attack instead,’ she told The Times.
She added that the hatred stems from ‘insecurity and jealously’ as she has progressed quickly in the industry and ‘men just don’t like it’.
Other comments she has include ‘a few photos of sheep doesn’t turn a Scouser into a shepherd’.
On her farm she has 250 sheep, goats, a pony, pigs, chickens, ducks and dogs. Hannah’s decided to pursue a career in farming after helping a sheep give birth on a family holiday.
She says that ‘lambing’ is her favourite time, and that she’s keen to continue teaching people about farming so the ‘public knows where food comes from’.