Shepherd's Delight

From town to country, former hairdresser Zoë is loving life on the farm

- DOUGLAS MCPHERSON

Zoë Colville used to style the hair of TV stars in an exclusive salon in London's West End.

Today, she's more likely to be seen with what she calls "farmer's highlights" - stray bits of hay-in her auburn locks. She's also no stranger to giving 'pedicures' to sheep with overgrown hooves.

Five years ago, Zoë swapped her scissors and hairdryer for a shepherd's crook, and became a full time farmer.

She's the first to admit, however, that she's far from the world's best sheep shearer.

"I've had a go and I'm really bad at it," the shepherdess laughs. "We get shearers in to do it because it's such an art and a skill. The sheep weigh 70 or 80 kilos and you have to hold them in a certain way so that they don't struggle. People train for years to do it well."

Having cut hair from the age of 18, Zoë had no idea that her life would change so drastically when she began dating her partner, Chris, nine years ago. At the time, Chris was working in London as a plumber.

Soon after the couple met, Chris fell victim to an autoimmune condition that left him housebound for a year. To aid his recovery, he decided to return to his family roots and begin farming in Kent.

One day, he phoned Zoë and announced that he'd bought a flock of 32 sheep and rented a field to graze them on.