Jeremy Clarkson has massively helped out a woman in the Cotswolds with her mortgage – and he doesn’t even know it.
Content creator Ali Woods revealed the former Top Gear host, 64, is doing her a favour, thanks to a viral TikTok video.
When she filmed clips from his pub opening last month, Ali had no idea how much money she’d start generating, and she now has Clarkson to thank for helping her pay off her mortgage.
The Farmer’s Dog opened its doors to around 300 people in August, with Clarkson telling the cheering crowd: ‘We’re open, we’re also not late, welcome everybody.’
The Clarkson’s Farm presenter was joined by his girlfriend Lisa Hogan and co-stars Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland and Gerald Cooper for the grand opening – which came after ‘massive, massive struggles’, when Clarkson tried to ‘quietly open’ the day before but faced ‘a disaster’.
Ali, who vlogs and shares recommendations from the Cotswolds, was one of those in attendance after the pub opened, and quickly shared her experience on TikTok, generating millions of views.
She later explained: ‘So Jeremy Clarkson is actually paying my mortgage this month which sounds absolutely crazy to say, but it’s true.’
She went on to explain that her video of Clarkson’s pub opening scored more than two million views, and she’d ‘miraculously’ been accepted onto TikTok’s creator fund the day before.
‘Although he’s not paying my full mortgage, he is paying my portion of the mortgage.’
Ali then advised other content creators to ‘just go for it’, even if they get low numbers, which can be ‘disheartening’.
She continued: ‘If you had told me this time last year that Jeremy Clarkson technically would be paying half your mortgage, I think I would have been so dumbfounded, like what is life.
‘You just never know where life is going to take you!’
In Ali’s Clarkson video she shares clips of the opening of his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, which began welcoming customers last month.
‘The queue was long to get in, but there was absolutely no traffic onsite, which you’ll be pleased to know,’ she told her followers.
This comes after concerns had been raised that the new pub would spark more traffic problems, following the success of his Diddly Squat farm shop which often sees queues lasting for hours and limited capacity in the car park.
Clarkson himself made an appearance in the video as he greeted fans, and it also showed a picture of the menu, including a hotpot for £19 and puddings for £8.
Fans had previously been left gobsmacked by Clarkson’s prices, when it was revealed that merch alone could cost up to £60.
Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper however firmly defended The Farmer’s Dog prices, telling Metro.co.uk: ‘I’ve spent a little time there. It’s fantastic, it’s great, it’s really just a good traditional pub with good food, highlighting the quality of British produce.’
‘I don’t think there’s any difference in prices to any other pub.’
Hot Property Picks from Metro
‘Miserable’ town is one of the most in-demand spots for UK renters
80s icon’s house available to rent on Airbnb for just £5 a night
‘We have a three-bedroom house to call our own for just £39,000’
I pay £1,250 for my London flat but a little-known scheme means I’ll buy it in three years
What I Own: I swapped my South London home for a £484,950 retirement community in Surrey
His co-star on the Amazon Prime TV series, Charlie Ireland, added: ‘We aimed for a bit cheaper than the local area because the pubs are sort of renowned for high prices. We’ve tried to make it affordable for people.’