Gardeners' World's Monty Don confesses why wife 'never calls me Monty' as real name revealed
Monty Don, the cherished presenter of Gardeners' World, opened up about his personal life in a candid chat with legendary interviewer Michael Parkinson on his YouTube channel.
Disclosing details few knew, Monty shared that at home, he goes by his birth name: "When I'm at home, I'm Montagu, and my wife, for example, has never called me Monty, my mother never called me Monty, I'm always Montagu."
Although known to millions by the shortened version of his name, there's a clear disconnection between his public figure and personal life, something Monty holds dear. He added: "It's a completely separate life, my home life has no connection with my public life at all in so much that, you know, there's no need for them to cross over."
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This distinction doesn't dampen his appreciation for the doors television has opened for him, as he readily expresses gratitude for how it enriched his life. Monty said: "But the enrichment is there, the fact that I've had the privilege to go all over the world, and talk to so many people, and see so many amazing gardens, it's something that I never would have had the opportunity to do and that feeds into my home life."
In recent news that's sure to delight gardening aficionados, Monty has confirmed in the Radio Times that he will continue sharing his green-fingered wisdom on the beloved BBC show, committing to the programme for the foreseeable future: "I never make plans beyond two years, but I’ve agreed to do another two (from January 2025),".
He shared: "Every time I think, 'Am I really going to do this? ' But the truth is that I do enjoy it. I’m lucky because it’s in my own garden. If the programme is made well, I’ll continue."
Over the years, Monty has won the hearts of green-fingered fans across the nation, not least due to his engaging segments on ITV's This Morning, where he began sharing his horticultural wisdom back in 1989. Arguably though, his crowning moment was stepping into Alan Titchmarsh's shoes in 2003, as the new host of BBC's Gardeners' World.
Be sure to tune in for a dose of Monty Don on Monty Don's British Gardens at 8pm tonight (Friday, February 7).
