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Monty Don has admitted that he ‘ready to embrace a quieter, slower pace of life’ after recently speaking candidly about the future of Gardener’s World.
Last year the broadcaster was hinted at his departure from the BBC show during a Radio Times magazine interview, in which he said: ‘It makes sense to give up Gardeners’ World because, for all its virtues, it is a relentless treadmill.’
The 69-year-old presenter, who has presented the BBC Two programme beloved by green-fingered amateur gardeners across the country since 2003, said he had considered quitting and turning his attention to something else, such as writing and presenting travel programmes.
And now Monty has revealed why he wants a ‘quieter life’ and choose his own work projects.
Speaking to Abode2 Magazine about the joy he gets from his home-grown produce, he said, “These days I don’t work as hard, and when I take on a project, I do it on my own terms.”
Monty Don has revealed why he’s ‘ready to embrace a quieter life’ after admitting in February that Gardener’s World is a ‘relentless treadmill’
Speaking about the joy of his home-grown produce with Abode2 Magazine, he said: ‘I don’t work as hard these days, and when I take on a project, I do it on my own terms’
He added: ‘At my current age I’m ready to embrace a quieter, slower pace of life. It’s all about watching garden life flow by.’
Monty also revealed that he never planned to pursue a career in television, but that it all happened to him after he seized an unexpected opportunity.
He explained, “I’ve always had this policy in life. If you say no, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened. If you say yes, you’ll find out.”
In his previous interview with Radio Times magazine in February, Monty He also spoke candidly about his mental health: ‘I’ve suffered from depression for years. It comes and goes, but it’s usually worse in the winter.’
While the presenter claims he is currently feeling ‘fine’, he adds: ‘I wouldn’t say I’m cured. I would say I’m being cured. It’s an ongoing process.’
Monty has been open about his mental health in recent years. Last December he admitted his seasonal depression was so bad that his wife Sarah threatened to leave him and their three children if he didn’t seek help.
In 2008, the presenter also suffered a minor stroke, which forced him to retire from his work as presenter of Gardeners’ World. He later told the Mail in 2011 that he did not want to be known as ‘the man who was ill’.
He said, ‘I don’t work as hard now, and when I do things, I do them on my terms. Psychologically, I’ve tried to put it behind me, but yeah, I became very aware of my mortality and that was very real.’
He added: ‘At my current age I’m ready to embrace a quieter, slower pace of life. Watching garden life flow by is what it’s all about’
Monty also revealed that he never planned to pursue a career in television, but it all happened after he seized an unexpected opportunity
Monty spoke to Times Radio ahead of the premiere of his new show Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens, which aired on BBC Two on 23 February.
He described filming the show as “an exciting and fascinating experience,” writing on his website: “This was filmed last year when I spent 7 weeks in Spain in April, May, June and October and features over 40 different gardens.’
‘I found it an exciting and fascinating experience with beautiful gardens and learned a lot about the country, despite having visited the country many times as a tourist.
“It looks amazing and I hope you find it as fun and satisfying to look at as I found it to be making.”