Farmer Wants a Wife star Clare Hockings has made the bombshell admission her glossy on-screen romance with Farmer Brad was anything but carefree behind-the-scenes.

Clare, who fell in love with Farmer Brad Jones during the 2023 season, said she was completely unprepared for the rigid filming conditions and lack of personal freedom during production.

‘I genuinely had no idea what I was getting into. I didn’t realise the lack of control that I would have in everyday life,’ she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

‘There are times when you go to events for two or three days and the whole time you have to ask, “Can I go to the toilet, eat something, put a jumper on? Can I put a hat on?” I wasn’t prepared for that.’

The 29-year-old, who now lives with Brad in regional NSW with their baby boy, said the experience was far more intense than it appeared on TV.

‘I was so naive. I thought I would go in, do a bit of farm work here and there. I didn’t expect it to be a full day of cattle work, I thought it would be more relaxed than what it was,’ Clare said.

Farmer Wants a Wife star Clare Hockings has made the bombshell admission her glossy on-screen romance with Farmer Brad was anything but carefree behind-the-scenes

‘It does come across like that on TV, but it’s very structured and controlled,’ she continued.

Despite the hardships, Clare and Brad are one of the show’s biggest success stories, joining a growing list of couples who found lasting love on the Channel Seven franchise.

The hit series has faced scrutiny in recent years for its growing focus on drama – with some viewers comparing it to Channel Nine’s Married At First Sight.

But Clare pushed back against the comparisons, saying: ‘From what I’ve heard, I don’t think it’s as bad as MAFS… yet.

‘I definitely think MAFS is more intense and a lot harder mentally to film as a contestant. In saying that, Farmer definitely has the potential to become even more dramatic.’

The new season of FWAW is currently airing, with this year’s bachelors already facing their own share of romantic tension and farmyard fallout.

In December 2023, Brad and Clare stunned their fans by inadvertently sparking a rumour they were engaged.

Clare posted a gallery of photos to Instagram of her and Brad celebrating Christmas with their newborn son Roy which fans apparently read too much into.

Clare, who fell in love with Farmer Brad during the 2023 season, said she was unprepared for the rigid filming conditions and lack of personal freedom during production

The 29-year-old, who now lives with Brad in regional NSW with their baby boy, said the experience was far more intense than it appeared on television

One adorable photo shows the happy couple posing alongside a Christmas tree with their young bub and another shows a female hand, with an engagement ring, holding Roy.

Fans immediately noticed the diamond ring on the hand and took to the comment section to ask Clare if she had secretly gotten engaged.

However, Clare was quick to quash the rumours and clarified it wasn’t her hand in the photo.

While they may not have gotten engaged Clare and Brad achieved another milestone in December, 2023 when they welcomed their first child.

The fan favourites announced the exciting news on Brad’s social media and shared a gorgeous photo of them doting over their newborn son.

The photo, which appears to have been taken on Brad’s farm, shows little Roy wrapped in a blanket, being held by his proud dad, while Clare lovingly looks on.

‘Roy Grahame Jones has arrived,’ he captioned the precious image.

Brad and Clare won fans as their romance blossomed during the 2023 season of Seven’s dating series FWAW and their relationship remains as strong as ever.