Monty Don opens up about SECOND Surgery after healing from first Knee Surgery.
Monty Don has opened up about a difficult health struggle that briefly slowed him down, while also revealing that another surgery is already on the horizon.
The beloved Gardeners’ World host recently spoke candidly about recovering from a knee replacement operation he underwent in October, shortly after turning 70. While the surgery was necessary, Monty made it clear that the recovery has been no small challenge. At the same time, he admitted that one knee replacement will not be the end of it, because the other one will also need to be done in the future.
Looking back on what pushed him toward surgery, Monty explained that his knee had reached a point where it was seriously affecting both his daily life and his work.
“I was finding by the end of a day’s filming I could barely walk upstairs and I certainly couldn’t take the dogs for a walk. It was severely limiting what I was doing. I did it so I could keep on working because it was getting to the point where filming was cutting round me limping.
“However you do it, a knee replacement is horribly painful. But three months on I’m gardening again and haven’t walked with a stick for a month. Sarah says I’ve been doing far too much stuff, but it’s fine and going to plan – though it can be inexplicably painful one day and then not at all another. At some point, I’m going to have to do the other one – but only when I can fit it in, probably late 2027.”
That quote reveals a lot about where Monty is mentally right now. He is not talking like someone preparing to step away from public life. In fact, the reason he had the operation in the first place was so he could continue working. Rather than viewing surgery as a sign to slow down permanently, he seems to have treated it as something that would allow him to keep doing what he loves.
That mindset also shows up in how he talks about his future on Gardeners’ World. Fans have naturally wondered how much longer he wants to continue, especially after more than two decades as the face of the show. But Monty suggested that while the end will come someday, that day has not arrived yet.
“I hope I’m continuing, but as I come up to the end of every contract, I seriously consider how it fits the rest of my life.” He ponders. “And each time, it’s come down fairly and squarely that I’d like to continue. But there will come a time when either they’ll say, ‘No, thanks’ or I’ll say, ‘It’s time for a change’. But neither of us, as far as I know, has reached that point yet.”
That is likely the biggest reassurance for fans. Even as he openly acknowledges age, pain, and the demands of filming, Monty is still actively discussing continuing with the BBC flagship. He sounds thoughtful, but not finished. Honest, but not defeated.
At the same time, he also gave a revealing look at how much work still dominates his life. His Herefordshire home, Longmeadow, is not just his private sanctuary. It is also the central setting for much of his television work, which means the line between personal life and professional life is often blurred. That alone helps explain why retirement does not appear especially appealing to him.
“I genuinely don’t know what retirement would look like. I don’t play golf or tennis, and I can’t see myself doing the crossword all day. Whenever I say to Sarah, ‘Well, thank God, I have no addictions’, she rolls her eyes and says, ‘You are completely addicted to work!’.”
That may be the clearest summary of Monty Don’s current chapter. He is recovering, still dealing with pain, and already aware that another major operation is waiting for him down the road. But he is also still gardening, still filming, still planning, and still resisting the idea of slowing down in any permanent way.
So while late 2027 may now be marked as the likely time for yet another surgery, Monty’s broader message is unmistakable: he is not ready to close this chapter just yet.
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