Alan Titchmarsh says 'you suddenly realise' after heartbreaking double loss
Alan Titchmarsh has opened up about his personal life and the emotional journey following the loss of his parents. The Ground Force legend, who now has his own ITV morning weekend show Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, provided insight into his family history, noting his father's death in 1986 when he was in his thirties, and his mother's passing some years later when he would have been in his fifties.
Speaking to James O'Brien on the 'Full Disclosure' podcast in a 2023 episode, Alan shared the significant impact his parents had on his life. He revealed: "Well, she was...yeah, she was proud of me in the end and that was nice to know, and the thing you realise, as soon as you've lost both your parents.
"You suddenly realise there's nobody to impress anymore, nobody to show off to, really, nobody to make proud of you, and I think that's a big realisation for anybody in any walk of life."
Read more Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates surprises wife with 'secret' wedding on Richard Branson's island
Alan, 75, added: "I think we all try and do right by our parents in a kind of reflected way, saying, 'Look, I did alright; you saw me right. You grounded me; you brought me up to achieve what I've achieved', and it's not just showing off to your parents.
"It's feeling you want to give them some kind of vindication for your life and that they did right by...I was very aware of that when they went and I would still...I'd do something and I'd think, 'Oh, I must ring me...oh'."
Alan detailed the tough time he went through as he grieved the losses, admitting it was "hard", but shared that enough time had passed now where he doesn't "weep about it" anymore, preferring to "believe that they're looking down" on him.