At 69, Monty Don, the beloved star of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, has become a national treasure, known for his calm demeanor and gardening expertise that has inspired millions.
Yet, behind the success of the renowned horticulturist, television presenter, and author, lies a family history shaped by both tragedy and resilience.
Monty’s rise to become the UK’s most popular gardener was largely self-made, driven by a deep sense of stoicism that developed when tragedy struck his family during his childhood.
The gardening expert battled bone-marrow cancer as a child, which left him feeling like a ‘sickly child.’ However, Monty later shared with The Guardian that it wasn’t until adulthood that he realized he was, in fact, a “robust, vigorous person.”
Monty, the youngest of five children alongside his twin sister Alison, also faced a challenging upbringing marked by a strained relationship with his “very strict” parents, both of whom passed away at a young age. These early struggles helped shape the resilience he carries today.
Monty Don’s father, Denis, a former commando and army heavyweight boxing champion, was a “frightening figure” who struggled with “deep depressive fits.”
In a 2020 interview with The Times, Monty described his father as a “scary man” who had “killed people” during the war, though he was “not in any way aggressive.”
“You didn’t mess with him,” Monty recalled, adding that his father would often withdraw into long periods of silence during his depressive episodes.
Monty also shared a poignant memory from his teenage years, revealing that his mother once asked him to remove the bolt from his father’s gun, fearing that he might be suicidal.
Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Monty expressed gratitude for the values his parents instilled in him.
However, tragedy struck again when his twin sister, Alison, was severely injured in a near-fatal car crash at the age of 19, further shaping his early adulthood.
While working as a gardener in France, Monty Don received a brief but urgent telegram: “Come home. Alison accident.”
His twin sister Alison had broken her neck and faced the possibility of permanent blindness. Despite the severity of her injuries, through multiple surgeries and sheer strength, she made what Monty described as a “miraculous” recovery.
Speaking to HELLO!, Monty shared: “She made what was deemed a miraculous recovery and regained the use of one eye after endless operations. She could also use one hand, walk with a stick, and later went on to marry and have children.”
In his 30s, Monty and his wife Sarah shifted their focus to running a costume jewellery business, but the 1987 stock market crash devastated their finances, pushing them to the brink of bankruptcy. By 1991, the couple—who share three children, Freya, Adam, and Tom—were forced to sell their home at a significant loss, along with most of their belongings.
The financial strain took a heavy toll on their health, leaving Monty unemployed, and by 1992, the family relied on benefits.
In their joint memoir The Jewel Garden, Monty reflected on this difficult period: “My mother died and left me enough money for a deposit on a house, and we found our current house. It was lovely but without water, electricity, sanitation, or any interior walls, and, as it turned out, a roof that was about to slide off.”
He added: “It was declared unfit for human habitation, and we rented a rat-infested farmhouse nearby. These were the bad times.”
Despite the hardships, Monty and Sarah persevered, and in 2003, Monty took over from Alan Titchmarsh as the host of Gardeners’ World, marking the beginning of his remarkable television career.