The 85-year-old has presented the popular BBC rural affairs show for 37 years, having started in 1989.

Prior to that, he had a 17-year stint on Newsround, which he helped launch on the BBC back in 1972.

Away from TV, Mr Craven lives in a village near Banbury with his wife Marilyn, where the couple brought up two daughters.

READ MORE: Countryfile star gives update on future after ‘joy’ at retirement home

The couple have been together for over 50 years and are now also grandparents.

In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Craven spoke about the long-lasting marriage and opened up about his wife being his “rock”.

“It helped that she worked in TV. She knew how it was,” he said.

“We hadn’t been together that long when I was asked to move to Bristol, and I wasn’t sure if she would say yes, but she did, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

READ MORE: TV star Adam Henson talks retirement, Jeremy Clarkson and Cotswolds

“She keeps me grounded. She’s been my rock. Without being too soppy, she was always there for me, which is the main thing in my business because it can be precarious.”

In another interview, which took place last month with Farmers’ Guardian, Mr Craven talked about the difficulties of filming in the early days of Countryfile.

He said: “In the very early days of Countryfile, it was very difficult to get cameras onto farms and to get farmers to speak to us.

“It took a long time to win farmers over and let them open the gates of the farm and let us in.”

The Oxford Brewers Alliance, a non-profit group of breweries, raised the funds through its Oxford Beer Bash festival, which was held at the Oxford Distillery over several years.

Helen & Douglas House, a hospice for children with life-limiting and terminal conditions, will use its donation to fund craft materials, play and music therapy, and bereavement support.

Earth Trust, based in Little Wittenham, said the funding will help them create new walking routes, develop the ancient woodland, and enhance working farmland with nature-friendly practices.

The third beneficiary, North Oxfordshire Aid, supports people in Ukraine by delivering humanitarian supplies such as vehicles, clothing, and food.

The alliance’s donation will go towards purchasing and equipping a fire engine for emergency use in Ukraine.

The fourth charity, the Licenced Trade Charity, has supported people in the licensed drinks industry since 1793.

It helps those facing crises related to mental health, housing, and finances with practical advice and support.

Both the alliance and the Beer Bash committee, including members James Clarke of Hook Norton, Christian Aldridge of NFU, Russ Taylor formerly of XT Brewing, and Anneli Baxter of Loose Cannon, thanked all involved in making the donations possible.

The Oxford Brewers Alliance said the donations were made possible by funds raised through the Oxford Beer Bash and sponsorship from NFU Insurance.

The broadcaster, 66, issued the plea after revealing he is in remission from an “aggressive” form of the disease.

The revelation came in recent episodes of Clarkson’s Farm, which follows life on his Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton.

He said: “This is why I have to say to everybody who’s reading this, please, please, please go and get checked.

“It’s not uncomfortable, it’s not undignified, and it’s a no-brainer.

“I did, and that’s why I’m sitting here talking to you.”

His daughter, writer Emily Clarkson, echoed the call on social media, tagging Prostate Cancer UK in her post, encouraging men to get tested.

Gentlemen, if you’re experiencing any of the signs of prostate cancer then please get yourselves checked as soon as possible! pic.twitter.com/1GN9ywuML1

— ClarksonsFarm (@ClarksonsFarm1) June 21, 2026

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Clarkson revealed he has since formed a support group with others who have also experienced the disease.

He said: “I was talking to David (Cameron) about it earlier this morning.

“He said the amount of people that come up to him is mostly in public conveniences and say, if you hadn’t owned up to it, I wouldn’t have got checked, and they wouldn’t have found it.

“So now there’s a group of us, (food writer) Giles Coren, David, me, one or two other people, and we meet for lunch every so often.”

Mr Clarkson said the diagnosis took an emotional toll, despite his typically stoic public persona.

He said: “I’ve seen so many people die of cancer.

“It doesn’t bear thinking about what it must be like to live knowing that an illness is going to kill you.

“It must be very, very, very distressing.”

He said: “I don’t know the history of what happened to (former Olympic cyclist) Chris Hoy, but to be told your cancer is inoperable and to still carry on, you’d have to be incredibly brave.”

During the season finale of Clarkson’s Farm, Mr Clarkson is seen in a hospital bed describing complications during treatment.

He told The Times these were the result of mistakenly resuming blood-thinning medication for existing heart and vascular issues.

He said: “That was horrific and it was all my own fault.

“I’d been on drugs for heart issues and I had to come off them during the cancer treatment.

“Two or three weeks after the cancer operation, I thought I’d better put myself back on those blood thinners.

“Big mistake, huge.

“It (resulted in) a very big emergency in the middle of the night.

“I’m not even going to go into the treatment that was required as a result of that, because it was horrible.”

Mr Clarkson previously underwent a heart procedure during which he was fitted with two stents to improve blood flow.

In a column for The Sun at the time, he said his doctor advised him to give up work and take up golf instead.

He also gave up smoking after contracting pneumonia while on holiday in Spain.

Posting on the X account of his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, Mr Clarkson reiterated the importance of early detection.

Great to see three Brits on the podium in Barcelona. Just a shame the winner was sponsored by an Italian beer.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) June 14, 2026

He said: “The reason why I’m fine is because the doctors caught the prostate cancer early, and they caught it early because I got tested.

“Now, I know a lot of you will say, ‘I don’t want to be tested because it means someone will have to put their finger in me’, but it’s just a blood test these days.

“Look, 10, 12,000 people, men, to be honest, men, die every year in the UK from prostate cancer.

“Don’t be one of them, get tested.”

Do you prefer Clarkson’s Farm or Top Gear? Let us know in the comments