Monty Don hit rock bottom and was on the dole - but one moment saved him

Monty Don opened up about a pivotal moment that helped him to turn his life around after he hit rock bottom and found himself on the dole.

The 69-year-old presenter has revealed that despite his beloved role on Gardeners' World, he faced significant hidden struggles before his fame.

In his younger days, Monty and his wife Sarah enjoyed a comfortable life, having purchased a stunning property in Hackney with a massive garden. They were happily married with a baby on the way.

However, their fortunes took a turn when their business failed, leaving them bankrupt.

Monty began working in TV after a researcher noticed his work in You magazine and invited him for a screen test. From October 1989, he started a weekly live segment and made films for Granada's This Morning. Despite this new opportunity, financial difficulties persisted.

Monty struggled to pay off debts, with overdrafts soaring, interest rates doubling, and banks bouncing every cheque. He was forced to survive on government benefits throughout the early 1990s.

He recounted, "The overdraft soared, interest rates doubled, the banks wanted their money and bounced every cheque. It is a familiar story, and it could have been worse. The business was voluntarily liquidated, the shop sold for a 10th of what it had cost, and television and journalistic work, caught in the depression, dried to a trickle."

The British horticulturist and broadcaster candidly admitted that he broke down and cried after feeling like a failure, with his wife and children witnessing his emotional moment.

“Sarah, having lost her job and business, drove down the drive on 15 February 1991, her birthday, with three little children asking why Daddy was crying. Again. I don't want to overegg the pudding.

“We survived. But for the record, the worst thing about losing your job and your home is not the loss of creature comforts but the humiliation. The embarrassment. You feel such a complete and utter fool.”

Monty later shared in-depth how the outdoors saved him from the abyss of mental health. However, it was also his wife who encouraged him to seek help.

He told The Guardian Newspaper: “Sarah, of course, came to the rescue. She told me that she could not cope with me any longer. If I saw a doctor, she would stand by me. If I refused, she would go. Pills eased me.

“I will never forget the bliss of standing at the kitchen sink in that horrid farmhouse and realising that I did not mind. Washing this cup, drying that plate was enough. It was - and I am completely serious - heaven. I spent months carving large wooden bowls. In a strange way, I was content.”

“After an 18-month gap, I began to garden again. Our new house had two acres of scrubby, abandoned field. While the year-long repair work to the house went on, I cleared it, wove a fence around the outside, designed the layout and started digging. Earth mended the hurt.”