Alan Titchmarsh was moved to tears on ITV1's Love Your Garden after meeting a family whose father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at just 32.
The gardening expert and his team were in Nottinghamshire to help Daniel Bradbury and his family transform their outdoor space. Daniel, a former landscape gardener, is one of the youngest people in the UK to receive the diagnosis.
Emotional moment
While planning the garden, Alan told his team: "The other thing we must remember while we're doing this is that Daniel was a landscape gardener when he was diagnosed."
He added, visibly emotional: "He's one of ours isn't he.." before trailing off and tearing up. "We've got to look after him haven't we. We'll do him proud."
Alan continued: "As one man of soil to another, I'm determined to give Daniel and his family a garden to be proud of."
Garden transformation
The team turned the large, weed-filled space into a wonderland featuring figure-of-eight paths, trees, bushes, wildflowers, a garden room, and a dining area with a pergola, working kitchen, and table and chairs. They also installed a water feature and a learning playhouse for the family's two toddlers.
When Daniel was invited to see the finished garden, he was overwhelmed. "Thank you very much," he told Alan, tears in his eyes, as he held onto his wife and Alan for support.
Alan introduced Daniel to "dad's apple tree", which Daniel helped plant with a final spade of soil, ensuring it would always be there for his children.
Viewers react
The episode, first broadcast in June 2023, left viewers in tears. One wrote: "What a heartbreaking story on #LoveYourGarden tonight I hope he loves the finished product." Another said: "Just a few minutes into #Loveyourgarden and I'm in tears already. Dementia is a terrible disease but to have it at only 30 is devastating."
Love Your Garden is available to watch on ITVX.
