Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost has spoken candidly about his personal challenges over the years, including a lifelong battle with a condition that affects 2.5 million people in the UK
14:28, 14 Aug 2025Updated 14:31, 14 Aug 2025
Adam Frost has been open about his dyslexia and fibromyalgia(Image: BBC/Glenn Dearing/Geffrye Museum)
Gardeners’ World host Adam Frost insists that people are frequently surprised by his accomplishments as a person who has dyslexia. According to the NHS, dyslexia is a widespread learning difficulty that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling abilities.
Struggling with this condition during his childhood, Adam confessed that he regularly felt underappreciated in his school education, and was once told that his sole career options were; joining the army, training as a chef, or pursuing gardening.
Following brief consideration of the military route, Adam chose to pursue his genuine love of horticulture and hasn’t looked back on the decision. Since 2016, the 55-year-old presenter has been a part of Gardeners’ World, and during this time he has published five books.
Discussing his accomplishments to date, Adam remarked: “I’m dyslexic which people find weird because I’ve written five books.
Adam Frost has been a part of Gardeners’ World for nearly a decade (Image: ITV)
“One thing I can do is play with shapes in my head, create things in 3D and understand. I can design a garden from scratch, and somehow I just know how things will work.”
Explaining how he has adjusted to television work, he told Woman’s Weekly magazine: “When I have to ad-lib on TV, I take apart what I’m going to say in my head, then put it back together verbally.
“Other people say to me, ‘I couldn’t do that’ but it’s something that feels very natural to me.”
Adam has been open about his personal challenges over the years, which has also included a period of depression. Additionally, he is among the 2.5 million individuals in the UK living with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition causing widespread pain throughout the body.
Adam started experiencing symptoms, such as sharp body pain and chronic fatigue, 20 years ago before he was diagnosed. According to the NHS, fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person, but the primary symptom is experiencing pain all over the body.
Adam Frost in his garden at home with Ash the cat(Image: BBC Studios)
The NHS website also states that while there is no cure for fibromyalgia, treatments like painkillers, talking therapies and exercise programmes may help alleviate some of the symptoms.
Earlier this year, Adam provided an update on his health, sharing: “The reality is, I’m 20 years on so yeah I’ve got it, but I deal with it.
“But, the great thing about making that film is the amount of people that have stopped me and said, ‘I’ve got it, thanks for speaking out’. And I’ve done something for the charity now and bits and pieces.
“I manage it through fitness really to be honest, and trying to find a little balance of life, which is not always that easy, but yeah, [I’m] good.”
Gardeners’ World continues Friday at 8pm on BBC Two.
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