JODIE:
TV star and former glamour model Jodie Marsh tells Closer how she’s turned her love for animals into a special mission
She originally found fame as a Page 3 girl and glamour model, alongside former rival Katie Price – but these days Jodie Marsh is more likely to be found mucking out the animals on her rescue farm.
And Jodie, 44, says that this radical change of lifestyle came about after her mum’s tragic death in 2020, which made her reassess what she wanted to do.
The former Celebrity Big Brother star says, “I always wanted to have an animal sanctuary, and when my mum died from cancer, I realised life was too short and finally decided to do it.”
So, three years ago, Jodie founded Fripps Farm, which takes in animals that need re-homing and gives them the best possible second chance at life. Starting out with only a few dogs and a couple of goats on six acres of land, Fripps Farm now looks after over 250 animals – including donkeys, turkeys, meerkats and llamas – and is spread across hundreds of acres.
FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS
Speaking about the project, Jodie tells Closer, “It sort of snowballed because as soon as people started to realise what I was doing, they wanted me to take their animals, because they know that it’s the best place for them. They’ll get the most love here and the most attention – and that’s really nice.
“When you work in the animal world, you see the very best in people because you see they will do anything to save an animal, but you also see the very worst in people. We’ve got a horse that was being beaten by its owners – they would kick it, punch it and put cigarettes out on it. Luckily, it’s safe with us now.”
And while she used to hang out at showbiz parties – rubbing shoulders with A-listers like Tom Cruise, Justin Timberlake and Usher (who she says once asked her out on a date) – Jodie has now thrown herself into the gruelling farming life.
GRUELLING ROUTINE
Speaking about her daily routine, the former model says, “I get up at 7am and do all the morning feeds, which usually takes me until 10am when Steph the farm manager gets here. She’ll then take over with that while I’ll get on with the admin side of things, like ordering all the food and organising people to build shelters. Then, we’ll walk the dogs, ride the horses and muck out the fields and stables.
“Every day is different. We get a free vetvisit every Monday, but if any animals need to be taken for treatment or if there are any rescues that need doing, that’s my job. I’m also the Essex and Herts first responder for Deer Aid – a charity that looks after deer – so any time a deer gets injured, I get a call.”
Jodie continues, “I do the night feeds at about 7pm, and then it’s time for me to have my din
