Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don announces his dog Nigel has died

From Prima

Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has revealed that his dog Nigel, who made regular appearances on the BBC gardening show, has sadly died.

In a statement on Instagram, gardener, writer and broadcaster Monty explained that golden retriever Nigel suddenly took ill, and has now been buried in Monty's Longmeadow garden at his Herefordshire home.

Monty explained: "I am very sorry to announce that Nigel has died. To the end he was happy, healthy and his usual calm, lovely self. But he was suddenly taken ill and he slipped quietly away with no pain or suffering and is now buried in the garden with lots of tennis balls. Rest now old friend. See you in the sweet bye and bye."

Beloved pooch Nigel made regular appearances on the BBC Two gardening programme, alongside Monty's other dog Nellie, and soon became the surprise star of BBC Gardeners' World, inspiring huge interest, fan mail and even his own social media accounts.

Nigel would be seen following Monty around his garden, at times playing with a tennis ball.

A message on the BBC Gardeners' World Twitter account read: "Farewell old friend. It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Monty’s golden retriever Nigel. He died peacefully. We will all miss him."

In 2016, Monty released an autobiographical book, Nigel: my family and other dogs, exploring what makes us connect with animals quite so deeply.

Monty said at the time: "I have always had a dog, or dogs. I cannot imagine life without them. I am just as much a fan of Nigel as any besotted viewer. In the book I explore why we love dogs and what they mean to us emotionally and domestically.

"I look back on all the dogs in my life – all of which I have loved deeply and which have been an essential part of my life. So, this is the book of Nigel – but also the book of all our dogs in every British family and a celebration of the deep love we feel for them."

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