Gardeners’ World star's ‘desperate to-do list’ after heartbreaking cancer diagnosis
Gardeners' World presenter Rachel de Thame was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and admitted "treatment is no walk in the park"
Gardeners’ World star Rachel de Thame confessed she had a “desperate” to-do list after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. The horticultural expert confessed that her life was rippled with “shockwaves” when doctors told her they had found a tumour in her breast.
Writing for The Times, Rachel said: “While one is grateful to have options, treatment is no walk in the park. Strangely, though, I’ve also found that there are compensations. Top of the list is a renewed, almost desperate desire to get on with some of the things that for too long have lingered on a mental to-do list.”
The BBC star added: “When you’ve felt rocked to your foundations, the only sensible thing is to get on with living.”
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Rachel confessed she was looking at life from a “fresh perspective” after her diagnosis, and plenty of her to-dos involved her garden. She explained she wanted to “make better use” of her outdoor space and share it with others, adding: “On a more immediate and personal level, I’m focusing on next spring and how I want my garden to look and, above all, make me feel.”
Rachel’s cancer was caught early, and she took a leave of absence from Gardeners’ World while she underwent treatment. She told the BBC at the time: “I’m doing well and coming towards the end of it. It’s caught early so that’s all very positive, so on the whole it’s better not to be working too much just now.”
She thankfully went on to make a full recovery, and has praised gardening for helping her with her physical and mental health during the challenging period.
Rachel said at the Chelsea Flower Show: "I know there's a big message this year at Chelsea about the importance of gardening for your general health and mental health, if you're going through some chronic illness, whatever it is, it's vital to go out and be in a garden.”
