BREAKING NEWS: Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don announces new job days after quitting BBC
The beloved broadcaster will leave the gardening programme later this year.
Gardeners’ World star Monty Don has announced a new job days after leaving the BBC (Image: BBC Studios)
Gardeners’ World favourite Monty Don has landed a new job just days after he announced his exit on the beloved BBC programme. The 71-year-old TV star is best known for having fronted the agricultural primetime show for more than two decades. But earlier this week, he announced his departure from the programme, and it appears as though he is already on to pastures new.
The dad-of-three is the new face of New Balance shoes, following the launch of the footwear company’s Flimby Garden range in Cumbria. A spokesperson said: “A permanent garden curated by Bleue Burnham for the people behind the New Balance Made In UK at its factory in Flimby, Cumbria.
The 71-year-old broadcaster is the new face of New Balance shoes (Image: ACN / New Balance)
“Created as a dedicated space for rest, reflection and connection, the garden brought New Balance’s manufacturing heritage with Burnham’s distinctive creative language and longstanding relationship with the natural world.” In Don’s exit announcement, he teased fans about his next adventure and promised that his move does not signal the end of his TV career.
Monty said: “I have decided that the current series of Gardeners’ World is to be my last. I began hosting the programme 23 years ago, first at Berryfields and for the past 16 years here in my own garden, Longmeadow. Throughout that time – and around seven hundred programmes – I have had the privilege of sharing my own abiding passion for gardens and gardening with an equally passionate, and often equally knowledgeable audience.
“That connection with millions, not just in Britain but across the world, who share a love of gardens, plants and the natural world, is something I have always treasured and which I increasingly believe to be at the heart of a life well lived. I have also always relished the craft of programme-making, and doing so, week in, week out, as part of a superlative BBC team has been a deeply rewarding experience.
“But now is the right time for a change. I look forward to continuing to work with and for the BBC on other projects, as well as following new avenues. There are more books to write, more programmes to make. And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by my side, here at Longmeadow.”
Monty Don made his TV debut on This Morning back in 1989 after his home garden was featured in several publications. It didn’t take long for the nation to fall in love with him on the show, leading to additional TV work on BBC shows such as Holiday and Tomorrow’s World.
He also began putting his ideas and tips into words and has published over 25 books since 1990. In 2002, he was recommended by Alan Titchmarsh to replace him as the lead presenter of Gardeners’ World, where he became the first self-taught horticulturist presenter in the show’s history.
