Monty Don once revealed who he wanted to succeed him when he finally left BBC Gardeners’ World.

The beloved broadcaster claimed “the world is changing” and confessed it was time for the long-running gardening show to “change with it”. The broadcaster, who recently celebrated his 69th birthday, has hosted the long-running BBC series since 2003.

Earlier this year, the star shocked fans when he admitted plans to present Gardeners’ World for “at least another three years”. The One Show presenter Alex Jones has addressed retirement rumors circulating earlier this year, saying she was “not happy” with the supposed news.

She fumed: “There are rumors in the paper, I’m not happy about it Monty, that you and Gardeners’ World are splitting up.” Tell me it’s not true.”

The gardener reassured her: “That’s not true,” Monty pointed out. All things being equal, and unless I do something terribly wrong, I will do this for at least three more years, including this year.

The German-born presenter expressed similar sentiments during a recent appearance on Times Radio last year, reports Good morning! Review. “The most serious thing is that I will be 70 in two years,” the star declared at the time.

“I want to continue. I like doing TV shows. I like writing books. Having the energy to do that and not scrabble, still that scrabble feeling. Having the energy to do that and not scrabble, always that scrabble feeling,” he continued.

“I think I need to give something up and I’m not ready to give up writing and I really enjoy the traveling I do. So it makes sense to abandon Gardeners’ World, which is, for all its virtues, an unforgiving treadmill. »

In an interview with The guardian Last year, Monty explained who he would prefer to pass the Gardeners’ World baton to when he eventually retires.

“I would like to think that the next Gardeners’ World presenter would ideally be a woman, representing either alone or in multiplicity, the diversity of this country, which has at least some urban context,” he said. confessed.

“The world is changing; we must change with this. In many ways, I’m probably the last middle-aged, middle-class white guy with a big garden to do Gardeners’ World. Which is good.”

Before taking over from Alan Titchmarsh on Gardeners’ World, the horticulturist was a regular gardening presenter on ITV’s This Morning.

He then held positions within the former BBC shows Holiday and Tomorrow’s World before working on Channel 4’s Fork to Fork in November 1999.

Between 1999 and 2003, Monty hosted Real Gardens, Lost Gardens and Don Roaming before becoming the first self-taught horticulturist in the show’s long history.