How an orphaned lamb changed estate agent's life

Flashy cars, a prestige job and plenty of money - high-flying estate Stephen Keighley had it all. Underneath, he knew "something was badly wrong".

"One morning I was driving to work, and tears started coming down my face," he said.

"I pulled over, rang into work and said, 'I'm not coming in' and they said, 'will you be back tomorrow' and I said, 'No I'm never coming back' and that was it."

Mr Keighley left his London life of 25 years and moved back to Cornwall, where he had grown up. Despite being back home, he still struggled. That was until five years ago when a friend gave him an orphaned lamb named Benny to care for - giving him a purpose that "changed his life".

"Having to care for Benny 24/7 and help him survive gave me a motivation and a purpose in life that perhaps I had been missing for a few years," Mr Keighley explained.

"My mental health wasn't in the greatest place in the world and perhaps Benny came along at the right time for me."

Mr Keighley, who grew up in Launceston, then bought two more sheep to keep Benny company and soon realised he had found his calling - to be a shepherd.

He now has a flock of 38 rare breed sheep having swapped his office for fields near Vixen Tor on Dartmoor, in Devon.

"It's a complete and utter contrast from what I was doing and what I did for the majority of my life," he said.

"I used to drag myself out of bed when the alarm went off, put on a sharp suit and go to work.

"Now I spend my days in tatty clothes covered in sheep poo, but I no longer need an alarm - as soon as the sun comes up, I can't wait to get out here."

He said he would not change a thing.

"I've learnt a lot from sheep in terms of life experience," he said.

"They've taught me how to just 'be'.

"Just to stand back and watch their social interactions, the way they happily spend their days happily grazing and lying around, that taught me life doesn't have to be as fast-paced as mine had been.

"It's given me time to reflect and to work out what's important in life."

As for Benny, he is now a fully grown ram. Mr Keighley, who kept him as a pet, said he was definitely not for sale.

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