Monty Don has offered fans a rare glimpse into his relationship as he marked 43 years of marriage. The BBC Gardeners' World presenter shared a throwback photo on Instagram of himself and his wife Sarah, captioned “43 years ago today.” In the picture, both smile brightly; Monty wears a white suit and tie, while Sarah is dressed in a light blue button-up blazer with large pearls around her neck.
Fans quickly offered congratulations. One wrote: “Congratulations. I hope you are as happy today as you look in this photo.” Another added: “Happy Anniversary to you both and many more,” and a third echoed: “Happy anniversary! Your wife is gorgeous. What a beautiful couple.”
How Monty Don met his wife Sarah
Monty first encountered Sarah while studying as an undergraduate at Cambridge University. During an appearance on White Wine Question Time, he revealed he experienced “intense attraction at first sight.” After courting for several years, the pair married on July 29, 1983.
Following their wedding, Monty and Sarah had three children together — Adam, Freya and Tom. All three are now in their thirties and have children of their own.
Monty on marriage and their garden Longmeadow
Speaking on the Gardeners' World podcast in 2022, Monty disclosed how he and Sarah reach decisions about their cherished home, Longmeadow. He noted that while they have occasionally disagreed about their garden, Sarah remains consistently supportive.
“Sarah has always been an entirely supportive partner in crime,” he said. “One of the things I always say privately and I should say publicly at every opportunity, it's her garden as much as mine. This is not my garden, it's our garden. It's 'We' always.”
“Every significant decision, and quite a few insignificant ones, are made by the pair of us in agreement and we have this principle that both of us have a veto over everything. It's a very good way to run a system because what it means is, if you disagree, and we do a lot, you can't do it and say 'Live with it.'”
Monty added: “You might have terrible rows, you might have a lot of persuading, it might mean negotiation. It might take two years before that plant goes in the ground, but when it does you've agreed. But by and large, we generally agree and sometimes it happens that you agree for a quiet life and then, really irritatingly, you realise they were right all along.”
