Monty Don has revealed the moment he knew it was time to leave BBC Gardeners' World after more than 20 years at the helm. The 71-year-old announced last month that he was stepping down from the gardening programme, and has now explained what prompted the decision.
Waking up and knowing it was time to stop
In his latest column for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, Monty opened up about the moment he decided to leave. He admitted that although he had known this was coming for a while, the final decision came when he woke up one morning in the summer.
Comparing his position to that of elite athletes thinking about retiring, he said: "Then, one day this summer, I woke up and knew it was time to stop. Simple as that. They say of sportspeople wondering when to retire 'You just know'. Well, I just knew."
Age and limited time as key factors
Monty explained that part of his motivation to stop was his own age and the acknowledgement that he had less and less time to spare, but still wanted to do so much. He added: "It was not entirely out of the blue. I am in my eighth decade now and although I am not retiring – heaven forfend – there are programmes I want to make, books I want to write, family I want to spend more time with and my enthusiasm for visiting gardens of all kinds all over the world remains as keen as ever."
He continued: "But the time for these things is growing limited. However, I can look back with deep satisfaction at having had the opportunity of sharing my own garden with so many people."
Announcement and reaction
Monty originally announced his intention to leave via a video on his Instagram page. In the video, he said: "Now is the right time for a change. I look forward to continuing to work with and for the BBC on other projects, as well as following new avenues. There are more books to write, more programmes to make. And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by side, here at Longmeadow."
Following his decision, the BBC's chief content officer, Kate Philips, said: "Monty's decision to leave Gardeners' World is one I respect, but I'm still very sad he's leaving. I would like to thank Monty personally for his honesty and kindness which has seen him open up about his own personal struggles and the power of the natural world to improve mental health. We will miss him on the show hugely."
Monty took over from Alan Titchmarsh in 2002, with the show initially filmed at Berrylands before moving to Longmeadow, where he lives with his wife, Sarah. He returns to UK screens tonight (October 23rd) on Gardeners' World at 9pm on BBC One.
