If you’d told JB Gill he’d be mucking out pigs for a living dressed in grubby wellies back in the Noughties, he’d probably have called security on you. Famously one quarter of boy band JLS, along with fellow hit hustlers Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Ortise Williams, the group rode high in the charts collecting BRITS and MOBOS for a decade (is anyone not humming ‘Everybody In Love‘ right now?).

But whilst a part of pop R&B history he may be, he has gone on to carve out a very different career – in the farming firmament. Now master of his own 11-acre farm in Sevenoaks, Kent, he has swapped chart-topping for crop propping, throwing himself into educating the next generation on the origins of food. 

A frequent face on the BBC’s Countryfile and Springwatch, he was recently announced as ambassador for Farms For City Children, a charity enabling children from disadvantaged communities to experience farming. And eagle-eyed parents will know him from CBeebies’ BAFTA-nominated Down On The Farm and Channel 5’s Cooking with The Gills.

With a new book out – Ace and the Animal Heroes – we catch up with him ahead of his special appearance at Royal Three Counties Show, to find out how he spends his weekends.

Early birder or love a lie in?

Definitely a lie in. I think this comes from when I was in the band JLS full time, we were always at events late into the night so it was almost always a late start if we could manage it. JLS is still together of course, we actually have a 12-date tour coming up this later year! But whenever I get a choice in the matter I’ll stay in bed for as long as I can.

Breakfast or brunch?

I do really like breakfast, but I think brunch is definitely the way forward. It’s one of those times of day which is always a bit uncertain, so rather than rushing breakfast, you can have a late breakfast and and early lunch all merged into one. Plus, you get the best of both menus, haha!

Coffee or smoothie fan?

Argh! Why are you making me choose between the two? I think I’ll have to say coffee because I’m always on the go, starting early, often finishing late and to be honest, coffee helps me get through it all.

What’s your weekend mantra?

Chilling – just that. It’s been a long time since Saturday night was party night, not least because we almost certainly have football early on a Sunday morning. It’s a chance to watch some of our favourite shows like Saturday Night takeaway. My partner and I might put on a boxset series once the kids are in bed though, but that’s dangerous as we love to binge for hours, which isn’t great when you have to get up at 6am.

Saturdays look like this…

The weekend for me is all about fitting in some family time. If we’re lucky we’ll try and squeeze a little lie-in and maybe catch an episode of our show ‘Cooking With the Gills’ on Milkshake on Channel 5 – where we get young UK cooks to make delicious dishes in our rural pop-up, TV kitchen.

Otherwise, I’ll get up with my wife and daughter before they set off for gymnastics or dance class, then I’ll go and check things on the farm to make sure everything is ok. I feed our animals, muck them out and then take my son to football training, the first two have to be done every day, whatever the weather!

Depending on what’s happening, we will all try to watch my daughter’s gymnastics class. The afternoon is mostly filled with catching up on housework and preparing for the upcoming week because it’s one of the only days we have a relatively free schedule. 

Sundays look like this…

A long lie-in, definitely. In an ideal world we’d go to church as a family and then go out for lunch somewhere before heading home to spend some time on the farm and get prepped for the new week ahead. But our Sundays are currently filled with football for the foreseeable future while my son Ace continues to play academy football. His matches might still be followed by lunch together as a family though – that’s always a highlight for us.

So you’re a fully-fledged farmer, multi-award winning boyband member JB! Tell us about that?

Yes, I set up a farm when we moved out to the Kent countryside in 2012. I live here with my wife, Chloe, nine-year-old son, Ace and five-year-old daughter, Chiara. We now have a smallholding which has successfully produced award winning KellyBronze turkeys and free-range Tamworth pork.

What can’t you live without at the weekend?

I do have one non-negotiable – and that’s an afternoon watching sport. Whether it’s the football, rugby, athletics, Formula 1 or anything else, that’s my treat. I grew up with Saturday television so it’s just my routine, and now my children absolutely love watching classics with me like Gladiators on the weekend.

Reveal your TV guilty pleasure at the weekends?

I’m currently watching Prison Break and it’s getting so goooood. I thought it was a little bit slow to begin with but now I’m fully in. We recently finished watching Grey’s Anatomy so we’re definitely getting through the old school shows too.

What is your sofa time snack heaven?

You can never go wrong with a large tub of popcorn or a bowl of salted peanuts, they are my favourites.

Pub grub or swanky restaurant?

This is a tough one, I like a swanky restaurant for a celebration and pub grub for more of a regular family treat but under ZERO circumstances is fine dining ever an option. Every time I’ve eaten in a fine dining restaurant I’ve left feeling cheated. It’s not for me.

What’s on the weekend menu at the Gills?

I love to cook, especially at the weekends. I grew up prepping and cooking all the family meals for the week ahead on a Saturday and when I’m at home now, we like to do the same. We’ll cook family favourites like lasagne or baked chicken, if there’s time we might even bake a dessert too although that’s not my specialty.

And on Sundays I’ll always cook a roast, turkey or pork from the farm, Yorkshire puddings, honey roast carrots and parsnips, roast potatoes and plenty of gravy. We almost always have that with an apple crumble for dessert. Fridays are takeaway days and my favourite is Chinese.

Early to bed in pjs or serial night owl?

I’ve always been a night owl. I definitely welcome an early night these days but to be honest I find I can get quite a lot done in the evening when things are quiet, the kids are in bed and I find it easier working into the night. I think it’s because there are less distractions.

On my bedside table you’ll find…

I always have a notepad and cup of pens on my bedside table. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with story ideas and if I don’t write them down immediately (and they’re always GREAT at that time of night for some reason lol) I forget them.

On the flip side occasionally I will have a dream and believe dreams can be prophetic so I always write those down because I definitely forget them otherwise.

What are you doing at the Royal Three Counties Show this year, and what’s the hottest ticket?

I literally cannot wait to be involved in this year’s Royal Three Counties Show again. I’m going to be there all day and my family will be there this time too as it falls on Father’s Day, which will be brilliant.

I’ll be doing an ‘audience with’ style event in the Future of Farming Theatre on the Sunday and a Q&A and chat all about my own experiences of farming. You can also catch me doing a reading of my book Ace and The Animal Heroes: The Big Farm Rescue in the Smallholders Theatre. 

Both of those events will be followed by a book selling and signing opportunity where you can come and meet me. I’ll be finishing up the show by hosting the brilliant Grand Parade of Livestock in the main arena.

I mean, all that’s got to be the hottest ticket right?!

Royal Three Counties Show is a three-day celebration of rural living. From a Food & Drink Festival featuring more than 80 local and artisan producers, to a brand new English Wine Show, special guests John Craven, Matt Baker, Marty Edgell (GBBO) and more than 6000 animals and livestock on show.

For more info or to book tickets head to Royal Three Counties Show, on from 14 – 16 June at Three Counties Showground in Malvern.