Monty Don, the beloved BBC Gardeners' World presenter, has spoken candidly about his acceptance of death and the consequences of ignoring medical advice for his knee problems. The 70-year-old gardening expert told The Times that he envisions dying peacefully in his garden, stating: 'I'll drop. You'll discover me in the cabbage patch. I've always had this idea that when I die, I'll just dissolve into everything. That's not a scary thought. That's fine.'
Don also revealed that he suffered from knee issues for over a decade, which eventually required double knee replacement surgery. Writing in his BBC Gardeners' World Magazine column, he admitted that he disregarded his GP's advice to stop digging and take painkillers. 'For the last 10 years or more my knees have been giving me the gyp and, it turns out, slowly deteriorating,' he wrote. 'I have spent 70 years kneeling on them, asking them to stagger about under unreasonably heavy loads.'
The broadcaster explained that he assumed only one knee was problematic, but scans revealed both needed replacing. Following surgery, Don compared the outcome to maintaining his old Land Rover, saying he can now 'get stuck in and crack on' with gardening tasks. 'With a fair wind and thanks to superb surgical skills, I should, like my beaten-up old Defender, keep ploughing on a bit longer,' he added.
