Monty Don shares heartache over death of 'much missed' dog as he skips show

31 August 2023 , 12:19

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Monty Don cuddles up with one of his dogs Nellie after losing Brenda (Image: TheMontyDon/Twitter)

Heartbroken Monty Don will sit out tonight's Gardeners' World after sharing his heartache over the death of his dog.

Monty addressed the death of his "much missed" pooch, Brenda, in a rare social media post on International Dog Day. He replied to a tweet from the programme's account, which showed a lovely photo of his pet looking out over a wheelbarrow.

Confirming he had said goodbye to her, he wrote: "Ah lovely picture of Brenda. Much missed." He was flooded with support from his fans after he paid tribute to his companion, who viewers didn't ever see on the programme. Brenda was one of two miniature dachshunds he kept at Longmeadow as the camera shy pups stayed out of the spotlight.

Monty is known for his love of dogs and often offers gardening advice to viewers alongside his two golden retrievers, Ned and Nellie. The 68-year-old is occasionally joined by his Yorkshire terrier Patti on the BBC2 programme but they won't be appearing this evening, it has been confirmed.

Instead, presenter Adam Frost will be taking viewers through some late-season tips as autumn swiftly approaches. He will be taking stock of his garden under the supervision of Ash the cat. Meanwhile, Frances Tophill visits a garden in Kent where the plants provide a non-stop buffet for insects.

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A synopsis for the episode reads: "There's a chef-turned-gardener who loves to grow all manner of unusual tasty crops. And there’s a visit to a sloping garden in Swansea for some top design tips. Plus more of the amazing films that have been sent in by viewers." There is no mention of Monty appearing on the show, so it seems unlikely he will make an appearance.

Animal-lover Monty regularly shares updates on his dogs, recently revealing he is besotted with a new dog, Ned, whom he confirmed is a ‘replacement’ for Nigel. Speaking before his pets had been introduced Monty joked: "I haven’t told Nellie or Patti yet…" before he added, "so it remains to be seen whether the three dogs will be best buds!"

But he need not have worried as video he has since shared with followers shows Ned and Nell rolling around and they look to have bonded beautifully. Sharing the joke on how popular his pets have become, he added: "I am told there might be a little gardening too."

Sam Elliott-Gibbs