Monty Don has described the reaction to his departure from Gardeners' World as feeling "like I've died", after presenting his final episode of the BBC programme last week. The 71-year-old, who first joined the show in 2003, stepped down after more than two decades on air.
Radio presenters Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball said they were moved to tears during the final episode, joining many viewers who reported the same reaction. Jo said: "He did his final show on Friday, the nation watched and wept as he did his final link from Longmeadow." Zoe described the farewell episode as "beautiful", leaving her in "tears" before Monty delivered his final goodbye.
Monty's message to colleagues
In the aftermath of the broadcast, Jo revealed that Monty had contacted her and fellow colleagues through a WhatsApp group to thank them for their support, while noting that some of the reaction had felt "very weird".
Speaking on the Dig It podcast, Jo told Zoe: "I heard from him the next day, we've got this little WhatsApp group and it's all the people who worked on the dog garden for Radio 2 [at The Chelsea Flower Show]. And he got in touch and just said, 'Thank you for all the lovely well wishes' and he said, 'It's been very weird reading all my obits, it's like I've died this morning waking up'."
She added: "He was like, 'Real life is okay, I'm fine' and actually, 'It's all good'."
Farewell and future plans
Jo described Monty's departure from Gardeners' World as feeling like "we are in end times", adding: "Where do we go now? Everything's a little bit of skew in the world, it's going to be weird watching Gardeners' World without him." She noted that he would continue "reporting back on Longmeadow on his Instagram".
"He was absolutely adamant, you know, I'm not showing it on Gardeners World anymore because that's not my thing but it is going to be on Instagram," she said, confirming that he has no plans to move home. "The world is his oyster and all Monty wants to do is travel around the world and look at really beautiful gardens and bring them back to us and he will definitely carry on doing that, and I think he'll be super happy," she continued.
Monty announced his decision to step down in September, telling fans that "now is the right time for a change" and outlining his future career intentions. He said he would remain involved with the BBC on various other projects "as well as following new avenues," adding: "And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by side, here at Longmeadow."
BBC tribute
At the time, BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips hailed the presenter as "unique", describing him as "a wonderfully engaging broadcaster with a soothing, calm presence who has inspired so many".
"Monty's decision to leave Gardeners' World is one I respect, but I'm still very sad he's leaving," she added. "We are a nation full of budding gardeners, and his tips and advice have been invaluable to viewers for more than 20 years and have certainly helped me increase my knowledge as well as my plant survival rate! 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 Don's British Gardens airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Two.
