Monty Don says 'I've struggled' as he opens up on health battle
Gardeners' World star Monty Don has opened up on a health struggle he's had since being a teenager.
Speaking to broadcaster Nikki Bedi on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live, the horticulture expert spoke of the importance of nature and the comfort it has given him during his ongoing mental health struggles.
The 69-year-old revealed how it was during his teenage years that he first began to notice that something was wrong. He explained: "Over the years I've struggled with depression. With hindsight, since my teenage years.
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"And always getting outside [helps]. For me connecting with the soil, the soil is really important to me, literally putting my hands in the soil and feeling that, planting things."
Further explaining his love of the outdoors and the positive impact it has on him, he added: "But getting outside, seeing the sunrise if possible, and sunset and walking, I'm looking out the window now, talking to you and it's great and the branches are bleak and bare, but I know if I go out there, I'll feel better.
"There's a lot of good work done on this, that exercise outdoors is really good medicine."
It's not the first time that Monty has opened up about his mental health issues. He previously spoke about suffering with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The gardening guru shared that he tries to retreat to warmer climates during the winter months, in order to get his 'winter sun'.
Speaking on the Travel Diaries podcast last year, he said: "A few weeks of that (going abroad during the winter months) has a profound effect. If you can afford it, or organise it, that really makes a difference."
According to the NHS, Seasonal Affective Disorder or 'winter depression' as it's sometimes referred to, is a form of depression that comes and goes depending on seasonal changes. While symptoms can be varied and different for those suffering with the condition some of the most common are continuous low mood, changes in sleeping habits and a lack of energy.
It is believed that approximately one in 20 people across the UK suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.