Alan Titchmarsh has shared a heartbreaking admission as he says he can feel time “slipping through his fingers”. The gardening expert has been a popular figure in broadcasting for almost five decades now.
He launched his career on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours and The Today Programme as a gardening expert in 1977. Before then Alan had been an editor of gardening books before moving on to write his own.
His passion for gardening started as a youngster, with Alan starting work as an apprentice gardener with Ilkley Council. He says the summers seemed to “last forever” when he was growing up in Yorkshire.
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Alan, 76, would enjoy fishing in the rivers, building dens in the woods, or even pretending he was the Lone Ranger while “galloping over the moors” as a child. Alan however says life feels much different now, and finds the hours can “slip away” when “out there pottering”.
Writing in Gardeners’ World Magazine, he said: “There are those who become maudlin about the increasing speed at which ‘time flies’ and, true enough, the older one becomes, the faster the hours, minutes and seconds seem to slip through one’s fingers.”
Alan Titchmarsh and wife Alison -Credit:REX/Shutterstock
Alan says it was once explained to him that a seven-year-old sees a year as a “seventh of their life,” while for someone who is 70, a 70th of their life is much smaller.
“I’m not sure I quite believe that analogy, but it suits my mindset to do so,” he added.
Alan has previously admitted he was worried about dying “at a relatively young age” after his father died aged 62.
Previously speaking to Yours Magazine, he said: “The thing is, the men in my family have had a tendency to die from heart disease at a relatively young age. My dad, for instance, died suddenly in 1986 from a heart attack, aged just 62.”
Alan presents Love Your Weekend on ITV -Credit:Mark Cuthbert, UK Press via Getty Images
In 2014 Alan said he began taking statins everyday in the hope of living longer. He says he was initially sceptical about it, adding: “I don’t like the thought of taking tablets every day, but I’m following my doctor’s advice. He thinks it’s a good idea.”
More recently, Alan explained that he had managed to live a good life through “luck” and “following the wind”. He says having a job he loves and that lets him spend time outdoors has also been good for his wellbeing, as has the love and support from his family.
He added: “I enjoy my food and drink – in moderation of course – and above all I laugh a lot. It’s worked for me.”
The gardening expert returns to screens today (September 7) with Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh from 9.30am on ITV One. He will be joined by Queen of Crime Lynda La Plante and Gareth Malone as well as Kelvin and Liz Fletcher.
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