Monty Don has opened up about his relationship with wife Sarah, insisting he has “no regrets at all” about breaking up her first marriage.
Gardeners’ World star Monty, 68, married Sarah 40 years ago, in 1983.
He is said to have fallen for her when she was already married to a botanist. Furthermore, it is believed Monty socialised with both her and her husband to the extent Monty went riding with him.
Monty Don on his marriage to wife Sarah
The couple reportedly first met while he was a student at the University of Cambridge.
He is said to have proposed while they took a trip on a rowing boat – and Monty is believed to have refused to row back to land until she changed her mind after reportedly not being sure initially.
Speaking about their “obviously complicated” situation, Monty said: “I don’t think it was love at first sight. I think it was intense attraction at first sight.”
He detailed how he and Sarah spent time together when her husband was away for four months on a field trip.
Monty recalled: “We started to bump into each other a bit more and we discovered that we really, really liked spending time together but in a completely platonic innocent way. And gradually over sort of days, and weeks, I was aware that the platonic side of things I was regretting more and more.”
‘I’ve always felt a bit guilty about it’
Monty described how he didn’t dare show how he felt. And even though Sarah felt the same, her relationship made matters “very difficult”.
He went on: “She chose me and it was for about six months an extremely difficult, unhappy tormented set up because he obviously was not very happy with that arrangement. He completely reasonably felt betrayed and very, very, very angry.”
Reflecting, Monty added: “The point is I’ve always felt a bit guilty about it, but at the same time there is a kind of ruthlessness. All is fair in love and war. You can’t pussyfoot about. If you decide to be with someone and it means breaking up their marriage, you can’t then say: ‘Oh I feel really bad about this.’ No I don’t. I thought it was great, it was wonderful. I’m so glad. I feel sorry for him, but it happened and I’m really glad it happened. I have no regrets at all.”
I feel sorry for him, but it happened and I’m really glad it happened. I have no regrets at all.
The presenter added on the White Wine Question Time podcast: “We’ve been together for 44 years, we’ve been married for 40 of them, and the only reason we didn’t get married earlier is because it took two years for her divorce to get sorted out. I would have married on day one.”
Read more: Monty Don warns he’s likely to retire from Gardeners’ World when he hits 70
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