BBC Countryfile's Adam Henson opens up on 'difficult' times with wife in sad admission

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has always been open about the highs and lows of farming, as well as his private life. While he has never suffered from mental health issues himself, Adam has faced difficult times, especially after his wife, Charlie, was diagnosed with cancer.

When he is not busy filming for Countryfile, Adam manages a farm in the Cotswolds, which his father, Joe, established in 1971.

Despite having a strong support network of friends and family, Adam recognises the importance of bringing attention to mental health issues among farmers.

Speaking in an exclusive interview earlier this year about suicide prevention for the farming community, Adam said he had never struggled because he is "an upbeat person" and that he has an "incredibly supportive family, wife, and children and people around me."

In his business life, he explained: "I have got a business partner who I was at Agricultural College with, and he is one of my closest friends, and what we do is surround ourselves with people that are excellent within their own role in the business.

"Whether that is a manager or a farm manager, we work really closely with the team, and we are all very honest and open with one another.

"I have had some very difficult times in my life, both in business and personally. My wife was very ill a few years ago, my parents dying, and I lost a nephew."

He added, "We have gone through foot and mouth challenges, Covid, and we have had some tough times, but I've never had poor mental health because I've had that fantastic support system around me."

Adam's wife, Charlie, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after she started suffering from stomach pains in 2020.

The duo decided to get married weeks after Charlie's diagnosis, and instead of going on a honeymoon, she was hours away from critical life-or-death surgery.

"It was both barrels," Charlie remembered to the Daily Mirror at the time as she explained the scan showed a four-and-a-half centimetre tumour on her pancreas.

"We knew people who'd died of pancreatic cancer, and I absolutely felt this was going to be the end of my life."

Charlie explained that getting married had never been important to her, but after her diagnosis, it was the "most important thing in the world".

"I needed to bring us together before I died," she said as Adam confessed it took no time at all to say yes.

Two years after having surgery, Charlie was able to go back to work part-time.

Countryfile airs on Sunday on BBC One.