Monty Don has lifted the lid on his quietly held political beliefs (Image: Brentwood Gazette)
presenter is known for his heart-warming gardening show.
The 69-year-oldd broadcaster shot to fame in 2003 when he became the lead presenter of the long-running horticulture show.
Since then, he has been delighting viewers with his top tips on how to maintain a well-kept garden. But one thing that may surprise fans about the national treasure is that he’s quietly passionate about politics.
In an interview with the Independent back in 2009, the dad-of-three revealed his distaste for the previous Prime Minister Tony Blair. When the star was asked to name his “real-life villain”, he replied: “Tony Blair is a dreadful man; really, truly dreadful.”
Back in 2015, to took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share his disappointment at the politician following an interview with TalkSport presenter Matt Forde.
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The presenter branded the former Prime Minister Tony Blair ‘dreadful’ (Image: BBC)
Resharing the interview, he commented: “I am always bemused by Blair’s passive/aggressive hand gestures. Such an obvious barrier.” But this isn’t the first time the broadcaster has been open about his political views.
Last year, the star took to to celebrate the result of the latest general election which saw his local Green Party MP step into Parliament.
However, the gardener’s post was met with a mixed reaction from his 1.3million followers as some praised his new local MP while others criticised his support.
Alongside a photo of his flourishing garden, he wrote: “I am delighted that I am now represented in Parliament by a Green MP. Many congratulations to Ellie Chowns for winning Herefordshire North. A historic achievement.”
It comes after Monty candidly shared the reason why he preferred gardening alone in his famous Longmeadow Garden away from his wife.
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The horticultural expert previously revealed why he prefers to garden solo (Image: BBC Studios)
Discussing the benefits of gardening, the TV star said being outdoors was particularly helpful for his mental health. He explained: “It’s the peace and solace, actually, that helps quiet my mind.”
Monty, who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), has been particularly keen to get back out into his garden following a “dreadful” October and November.
Due to his condition, which affects one in 20 people in the UK, the presenter finds these months particularly hard due to the reduced hours of sunlight.
Speaking on the Gardeners’ World podcast, he shared: “I now have a pattern whereby I try and spend one day a week on my own in the garden, which is obviously usually a weekend, one of the two weekend days.
“I try and spend the majority of the day [there] and that’s very important and I really look forward to it.” While his preference is gardening alone, he discussed how sharing the hobby can also be beneficial.
“It’s a kind of treat I give myself,” he added.”But when I say share, I don’t necessarily mean gardening with other people, which actually personally I don’t like very much.
“Even my wife and I, who have always gardened together, we hardly ever physically garden together, we just were in the garden at the same time.”
Gardeners’ World airs on Fridays from 8pm on Two or catch up on iPlayer.