Alan Titchmarsh previously revealed his heartbreaking reaction when he found out about his beloved father’s death.
Telly fave, Alan shot to fame back in the late 1970s – and since then, he’s not stopped. He’s back on TV screens on Sunday (September 21) too, for his show, Love Your Weekend.
When he’s not appearing on screen, Alan lives in Hampshire with his wife Alison – whom he married way back in 1975. The pair are parents to grown-up children, Polly and Camilla.
In 1986 though, Alan was faced with heartbreak when his dear father died. And sadly, it was his wife who had to break the news to him.
Alan Titchmarsh on wife revealing his dad’s death
Back in 2009, Alan released his memoir, Knave of Spades, and discussed his parents’ relationship.
“As a couple they were totally devoted. Apart from Mum’s hens and the fire service they did nothing without each other,” he said.
However, Alan then noted: “So when my father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1986, the bottom fell out of her world. She was devastated.”
Alan went on to reveal that he was away working when his father passed away, and his wife had to tell him about his death.
Alan’s ‘packed a bag and left’
“I had been working in Stoke-on-Trent at the garden festival. There were no mobile phones back then,” Alan shared.
He continued: “I drove back home to Hampshire, oblivious to what had happened, and only when I got there could Alison tell me the news.”
Revealing his reaction, Alan said: “I walked up to the top of the garden and stood for a bit. Leaning on a tree. Then I came back to the house, packed a bag, got in the car and drove up to Yorkshire.”
Alan’s mum ‘never did get over it’
Alan also revealed that his mother never truly recovered from his dad’s passing.
He said: “Mum never did get over it. The first year was the worst, as it always is, with all those anniversaries to be got out of the way. It did not help that I lived 200 miles away and that Kath took the brunt of Mum’s grief.”
In order to support his mum, Alan and the family made special arrangements, with Alan sharing: “We built her a granny flat above the garage and Kath and her family then moved into the house.”
Watch Love Your Weekend with Alana Titchmarsh on Sunday (September 21) at 9:30AM on ITV1.
Read more: Touching reason Alan Titchmarsh helped raise £16k for end-of-life care charity
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