How Jeremy Clarkson received the title of Britain’s sexiest man

A chiselled jaw, toned physique or a six-pack so impressive it gives David Beckham a run for his money – these are the attributes most people might imagine when picturing the UK and Ireland’s sexiest man. 

But for the second year in a row, Jeremy Clarkson, 64, has secured the title – beating off a long list of competition from the likes of Tom Holland, Idris Elba and Cillian Murphy.

The Clarksons Farm star scored an impressive score of nine out of 10 points in the annual poll conducted by IllicitEncounters, which bills itself as ‘the best online dating site for married people’. 

Having described himself as ‘unfit, fat and old’ earlier this year, straight-talking Clarkson isn’t the obvious choice for ‘sexiest man’ – but his victory is clearly good news for average blokes everywhere.

Since for those looking to channel The Grand Tour presenter’s apparent ‘sexiness’, there’s no need to stick to a strict exercise regime, invest in expensive designer gear or ditch alcohol.

Instead, to follow in Clarkson’s footsteps, you’ll need to get your hands dirty on a farm, love beer and embrace a dad bod.

The car enthusiast spends most his days at his 1,000 acre farm, Diddly Squat, in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, which he bought in 2008 but only took over the running of it himself in 2019. 

He’s filmed wrestling with the daily challenges of farming in his hit Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm; the third season has just been released following the success of series one and two.

So for Clarkson, his days are now filled with looking after pigs, sheep, cows and chickens, growing crops and being at loggerheads with local planners as he tries to turn Diddly Squat into a money spinner.

He’s helped at the farm – which also boasts a farm shop, beehives and picturesque woodland – by glamorous girlfriend Lisa Hogan, 50.

Dublin-born beauty Lisa, who once had a successful career in the modelling industry, gaining recognition for her stunning looks in the 1990s, previously lived in Switzerland, Majorca, and London before settling in Oxfordshire.

The mother-of-three, who has been dating ex-Top Gear host Clarkson since 2017, also has a string of acting credits under her belt.

However, nowadays she’s swapped her glamorous life to gallivant around fields in muddy wellies with her petrolhead partner as they film the Amazon series.

Clarkson is also assisted on the farm by farmers Kaleb Cooper and Gerald Cooper and land agent and advisor Charlie Ireland.

Speaking about his day-to-day, Clarkson told The Sun in 2021: ‘The farm’s the day job, y’know, you’ve got home life, and then I always think of The Grand Tour as being a bit like an adventure holiday – and that’s what they are.

‘They are adventure holidays with your mates, we just take a film crew along. And they are a bloody laugh.’ 

Meanwhile, the presenter previously admitted to The Sun that farming hasn’t made him any fitter.

He said: ‘Lisa and I have drank ourselves silly. When you’re farming one of the joys is the sun going down and leaning on a fence and looking at your sheep or your crops or watch the changing of the seasons.

‘So has it made me fitter? No. And the other thing about farming is how automated it is, you never have to actually walk anywhere, you just drive everywhere it’s fantastic. I’m the unfittest I’ve ever been.’

Last year, when Jeremy was awarded the top spot in the annual poll, it was said to be due to ladies being unable to resist his ‘bad boy farm vibe’.

Commenting on Clarkson’s win, IllicitEncounters spokeswoman Jessica Leoni said: ‘With the wax jacket and tweed shirt, clearly, Clarkson’s bad boy farm vibe is working for the over 30s.

‘Landing top spot in our table won’t earn him diddly squat, but I’m sure it will give him bragging rights on the farm.’

Clarkson – who has three grown-up children from his marriage to Frances Cain, which ended in 2014 – branded himself ‘unfit, fat and old’ when breaking his silence after quitting Prime Video’s The Grand Tour following five series.

The presenter signed a big money deal with the streaming service in 2015 to continue his motoring adventures with former Top Gear co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May.

But the trio’s 20-year-long partnership has drawn to a close after Jeremy revealed there was nothing else for them to do.

Telling The Times: ‘I’ve driven cars higher than anyone else and further north than anyone else. We’ve done everything you can do with a car. When we had meetings about what to do next, people just threw their arms in the air’.

He also added: ‘[The show] is immensely physical and when you’re unfit and fat and old, which I am…’

The presenter also discussed his ‘eight full-time jobs’, including ‘three newspaper columns a week, the farm to run and the farm show to make… and I have the brewery and Millionaire so I reckon I’ve got eight full-time jobs.’

In 2021, Clarkson launched his Hawkstone lager, which is made using malt barley grown on Diddly Squat Farm in The Cotswolds.

Meanwhile, the latest entry into the top 10 UK’s sexiest man list by IllicitEncounters was Spider Man actor Tom Holland, who bagged himself second place. 

The Hollywood star, 27, who is dating actress Zendaya, scored an impressive eight points in the poll. 

Completing the top three, is the Prince Of Wales, 41, who has raised in the vote after coming near the bottom last year.

The annual sexiest man poll from leading married dating site, Illicitencounters.com is voted by 2,000 of its female members. 

The women are asked who they think the UKs sexiest man is, asking them to score a 50-strong list of the past year’s most famous, culturally relevant names from most to least ‘sexy’. Each name was scored 1-10 (10 being the highest) based on their ‘sexiness’.

In something of a boost for Gareth Southgate, 53, ahead of a massive summer for football, the England boss – who is renowned for his waistcoat and soft knit fashion – took fourth place – a placing he’ll be hoping to avoid in the 2024 Euros.

Bagging eighth place was I’m A Celebrity winner and former Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson, 31, while ‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook, 27, made ninth.

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, 47, took fifth place in this year’s vote alongside Top 10 sexiest hunk regulars Idris Elba, and Dermot O’Leary.

And there were notable exits from this year’s Top 10, with Mike Tindall, 45, dropping from 3rd to 29th and Ryan Reynolds, 47, dropping from 4th to 26th.

Elsewhere Piers Morgan, 59, plummeted from 17th place last year to 40th this year.

It comes after Jeremy revealed earlier this month that he is already filming season four of Clarkson’s Farm.

The Amazon Prime show will return after a successful three series which follow him whilst he attempts to run a farm despite having no farming experience.

The motor presenter turned farmer, revealed at an exclusive event at the Diddly Squat Farm: ‘We’re doing season four now…

‘And every single day when we meet for filming, we have a vague idea about what I need to do, but I can guarantee it will change because the weather has changed, or some fence will have fallen down…

‘And you never know what you’re going to end up doing. As long as you get content, it doesn’t matter what it is.’