Monty Don has been a mainstay on Gardeners’ World for decades, but the presenter has also been open about his struggles, which led his wife Sarah to contemplate leaving him
Monty Don stands as one of Britain’s most beloved television personalities, gracing our screens on Gardeners’ World for countless years as a leading presenter.
For decades, Monty has been sharing invaluable advice with the nation’s green-fingered enthusiasts on nurturing their plants through spring and summer blooms, before helping them endure the harsh autumn and winter months. Yet, like the rest of us, Monty isn’t shielded from experiencing periods of low mood.
The gardening expert has candidly discussed his struggles with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in recent years – a condition that significantly affects people’s emotional wellbeing depending on the time of year.
During an appearance on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast, Monty revealed how the disorder, which impacts one in 20 Britons, became so severe that his wife Sarah felt compelled to intervene.
Monty has been married to Sarah since 1983, and together they’ve raised three children: Adam, Tom, and Freya.
He told Kate that ultimately, it was Sarah who helped him to get professional support, recounting: “Sarah said to me, ‘Look, I just can’t take any longer your moods and your black depression, you’ve got to do something about it because if you don’t, I can’t live with you – I’ll take the children and I’ll go’.”
Following this wake-up call, Monty sought medical guidance and was given antidepressants, though he has since discontinued the medication in favour of using a light therapy device. Delving deeper into his mental health on the Gardeners’ World podcast, Monty revealed his coping strategies.
He said: “I now have a pattern whereby I try and spend one day a week on my own in the garden, which is obviously usually a weekend, one of the two weekend days.
“It’s a kind of treat I give myself. But when I say share, I don’t necessarily mean gardening with other people, which actually, personally, I don’t like very much.
“Even my wife and I, who have always gardened together, we hardly ever physically garden together, we just were in the garden at the same time.”
This isn’t the first instance of Monty discussing his mental health; he previously told Gardeners’ World magazine: “December can be a low time of year for me psychologically, as I am prone to seasonal affective disorder, but my spirits always rise when we get to Boxing Day.
“Even if it’s filthy weather, I always do some gardening – I go to the potting shed and sow some tomatoes, chillies and onions. It gives me the sense that we are working towards spring.
“If the weather allows, I will start pruning the apples. It takes me about a week to prune the orchard, and I really enjoy it in dry, cold weather.”
Monty returns to the UK’s screens with Monty Don’s Rhineland Gardens on Friday at 8pm on BBC Two.
Source: Mirror
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