Kaleb Cooper has spoken movingly about standing beside his “best mate” Jeremy Clarkson throughout the presenter’s treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
The 27-year-old farmer, who found fame alongside Jeremy on the hugely successful Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, reassured concerned fans that his close friend remained in good spirits following his diagnosis and operation.
Jeremy, 66, publicly revealed his health battle in the emotional final episodes of the programme’s fifth series.
Viewers watched as the former Top Gear host told a visibly stunned Kaleb and land agent Charlie Ireland that doctors had found cancer during a medical examination.
Speaking after the episodes were released, Kaleb said he had remained close to Jeremy throughout the difficult journey.
“He is good,” Kaleb told the Daily Mail. “The spirits are high, which is good.”
The young farmer described Jeremy as his best friend and said supporting him had naturally become his priority.
“If anything like this happens to any of your friends — and, as you just said, to my best mate — you’ve got to support them through that whole journey,” he explained.
“That’s where I’ve been. I’ve been right by his side, and his spirits are really good.”
Kaleb also praised Jeremy’s mental strength and determination as he continues dealing with the aftermath of his treatment.
“He’s strong-minded,” he said. “He’s got a strong mind on him, which is good.”
The farmer used the opportunity to repeat Jeremy’s message about the importance of seeking medical advice and detecting potentially serious conditions early.
He warned that people often allow demanding jobs and busy schedules to become excuses for postponing health checks.
“The message about catching anything early is quite important,” Kaleb said.
“That’s the main thing. You’ve got to keep checking.”
He added: “People can sit there and say, ‘I’m busy, busy, busy.’ But actually, sometimes you’ve got to go, ‘I’m just going to have to check and see if I’m OK.’”
Jeremy discovered that he had cancer after attending a medical assessment in May 2025.
He later underwent a biopsy, which confirmed that the disease was present and considered aggressive.
However, the presenter said doctors had detected it at an early stage, giving him greater hope that treatment would be successful.
The diagnosis was recorded by the Clarkson’s Farm cameras, but Jeremy kept the news private until the final episodes were released in June 2026.
In one of the series’ most emotional scenes, he sat down with Kaleb and Charlie to discuss the approaching harvest.
After being told that the farm’s crops would be ready near the end of July, Jeremy appeared distressed as he realised that his operation would fall during the busiest part of their year.
He exhaled, swore and then quietly confirmed that he would have to leave the farm for treatment.
Kaleb asked whether he was going away.
Jeremy then delivered the devastating news: “I’ve got cancer.”
The farmer’s immediate reaction showed how difficult it was for him to process what he had heard.
He initially replied: “No, you haven’t,” before asking where the cancer had been found.
Jeremy chose not to identify the affected area during that first conversation but revealed that he had known about the diagnosis since May.
He explained that the cancer was aggressive but early, and that treatment would require him to step away from the farm.
Jeremy had hoped to finish the harvest before undergoing surgery, but doctors scheduled the procedure directly in the middle of it.
He told Kaleb and Charlie that his body would be “out of action for a little while” and admitted that he was not looking forward to the operation.
Kaleb became tearful during the conversation and was seen wiping his eyes.
Despite the shock, he immediately offered Jeremy his complete support.
“Look after yourself,” he told him. “If you need anything, you just ring me.”
Charlie also wished Jeremy a speedy recovery as the group attempted to plan how Diddly Squat would operate in his absence.
Jeremy’s partner, Lisa Hogan, was expected to take on some of his duties while he received treatment.
The timing created further difficulties because Kaleb’s fiancée, Taya, was expecting their third child, meaning the farm faced a race to complete its barley and wheat harvest with several key people potentially unavailable.
Jeremy eventually underwent surgery at a hospital in London on August 4, 2025, after reportedly receiving only six days’ notice.
He later told viewers that part of his prostate had been treated and described ten per cent of it — the section where the cancer was located — as “dead”.
The presenter said he would not immediately know whether the procedure had worked.
Further blood tests would be required before doctors could assess the outcome.
Jeremy attempted to remain positive around his colleagues, telling them that the operation had “probably” succeeded and encouraging them to cheer up.
But the series ended on a far more alarming note.
After filming appeared to have concluded, Jeremy was rushed back to hospital when complications developed.
The programme showed an ambulance travelling with its blue lights flashing before cutting to the broadcaster lying in a hospital bed.
“We started season five with me in a hospital bed, and here we are at the end of season five and I’m back in a hospital bed,” he said.
Jeremy revealed that some of his treatment had “gone awry” and that he would need to remain under medical care.
He had been instructed not to eat or drink and admitted that he did not know what was going to happen next.
The presenter then reflected on the uncertain future of Clarkson’s Farm.
“What I wanted to say was, if this is all successful, I’ll see you for season six,” he told viewers.
“And if it isn’t, I won’t. Take care, everyone.”
Although the message was recorded during a frightening stage of his treatment, subsequent updates have offered fans some reassurance.
Lisa recently posted a photograph of Jeremy taking pictures outside at Diddly Squat and captioned it: “Back at the Farm.”
She also thanked followers for their enormous outpouring of supportive messages.
Kaleb’s comments have now provided another hopeful update, with the farmer insisting that Jeremy’s mood remains strong.
His determination will be familiar to viewers who have watched him confront repeated disasters on Clarkson’s Farm.
Since beginning to run the Oxfordshire property himself in 2019, Jeremy has dealt with extreme weather, failed crops, injured animals, planning disputes and the unpredictable economics of British agriculture.
The farming series launched on Prime Video in 2021 and became a surprise international hit.
Its popularity has transformed Kaleb from a local contractor into one of television’s most recognisable young farmers.
Despite their considerable age difference and frequent on-screen arguments, Jeremy and Kaleb have developed a close friendship.
Their relationship is built around constant teasing, disagreements and exasperation, but the emotional cancer scenes demonstrated the genuine affection beneath their television double act.
Kaleb’s description of Jeremy as his “best mate” reinforced how deeply their lives have become connected away from the cameras.
The pair’s partnership has also extended beyond the programme.
Kaleb was speaking as he launched his first television advertisement for Hawkstone, the beer and cider company founded by Jeremy.
The 40-second advertisement aired in the final commercial break before England’s World Cup match against Croatia.
It marked a significant moment for the brand after its first planned advertisement was reportedly banned.
Jeremy has continued working since the cancer scenes were filmed.
A sixth series of Clarkson’s Farm has already been commissioned and is expected to air in 2027, although production may be adjusted to accommodate his recovery.
He also continues to host Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
The prostate cancer diagnosis followed another major medical emergency for Jeremy.
In 2024, he underwent a heart procedure after doctors discovered a severely blocked coronary artery.
Surgeons fitted stents to improve blood flow, with Jeremy later saying he had come dangerously close to dying.
His doctor reportedly advised him to reduce his workload and suggested that he replace some of his professional commitments with a more relaxing activity such as golf.
Jeremy had previously stopped smoking after developing pneumonia during a holiday in Spain.
Despite those warnings, he has remained heavily involved in television, farming and business projects.
His latest diagnosis has forced him to reconsider that relentless pace once again.
Jeremy repeatedly told viewers that early detection was the reason he still had hope.
He said that without the medical examination, the disease might have progressed unnoticed and the 2025 harvest could have been his last.
Kaleb has now reinforced that warning, urging others not to postpone medical checks simply because they feel too busy.
For him, Jeremy’s health crisis has not been merely a storyline captured for television.
It has been a frightening period in the life of one of his closest friends.
Kaleb said he had remained beside Jeremy from the diagnosis through the operation and its aftermath.
He offered no detailed medical prognosis beyond confirming that Jeremy was doing well emotionally and maintaining a positive attitude.
But after the bleak hospital scenes that concluded the series, his words will provide comfort to viewers.
Jeremy’s cancer journey may not be fully over, and continued medical monitoring will remain important.
However, he has returned to Diddly Squat, is continuing to work and has his family, partner and farm colleagues around him.
Among those closest supporters is Kaleb — the young farmer who once knew Jeremy only as an inexperienced landowner but now regards him as his best mate.
Their arguments over tractors, crops and farming methods will undoubtedly continue.
But when Jeremy faced the most serious battle of his life, Kaleb made clear that he would be there for every step of the journey.
