Gardeners’ World star Alan Titchmarsh has shared a rare insight into his life away from the screen, as he spoke candidly about his concerns for the impact of social media
Alan shared a ‘worry’ about one thing during a recent interview(Image: Dave Benett, Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Alan Titchmarsh, acclaimed presenter of Gardeners’ World, has expressed his anxiety over a particular issue while discussing coming to terms with getting older.
In an intimate conversation with Best magazine, the beloved green-fingered icon offered a look into his life beyond tending to his beautiful garden. He opened up about how age has begun to impact one of his most cherished hobbies: “Being older now we can be away quite a bit, which makes dog owning more difficult.”
While admitting that having a pet dog has become a tougher commitment with time, he gleefully spoke about caring for his “grand-dogs”, the pets that belong to his grandchildren.
Alan shared how his age has made owning a dog more difficult(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Moving on from his affinity for dogs, Titchmarsh, who is 75-years-old, also touched upon his online presence. Although he takes pleasure in posting snapshots of his garden and sharing botanical insights on Instagram, he confided that he harbours apprehension towards certain societal trends relating to social media use: “I do worry about social media and its impact, though.”
And, he relayed his perspective on our interaction with the plethora of social media platforms available to us: “It can encourage introspection and become something of an obsession. I contribute to it but hopefully in a more wholesome way.”
Alan remains a leading figure in the gardening world, perhaps most famously for his stint as the host of BBC’s Gardeners’ World. He held the role from 1996 to 2002 before being succeeded by Monty Don, who has continued to present the show. Alan’s incredible contribution to gardening and charity was rewarded earlier this year when he was made a CBE.
However, Alan’s broadcasting career didn’t end with his departure from Gardeners’ World. He now hosts Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh every Sunday morning on ITV, where he delves into “all that is great about the British countryside, including arts, crafts, manufacturing and produce.”
Each episode features a variety of celebrity guests, with past appearances from the likes of Ben Fogle, Matt Baker, Joanna Page and Alan Davies.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh will be back on air today (March 16) on ITV at 9.30am.