Monty Don’s ‘Divorce Talk’ With Wife Sarah: The One Conversation That Changed Everything

From the outside, Monty Don’s life seems like the ultimate comfort watch: muddy boots, gentle advice, and the steady rhythm of the seasons. He’s the calm voice UK gardeners trust when everything feels grey.

But here’s the twist Monty has admitted himself: winter doesn’t just change the garden. It changes him.

And behind the scenes, that reality pushed Monty and his wife, Sarah, into a decision that wasn’t about plants at all — it was about protecting their home.

Monty, now 70, has fronted BBC’s Gardeners’ World for years and films from his own garden, Longmeadow in Herefordshire. But even with cameras, compost, and a two-acre sanctuary outside the door, he has been open about a difficult personal pattern: when the light disappears, his mood can sink with it.

The “personal battle” Monty says can hit hardest when days get shortest

In recent years, Monty has spoken publicly about living with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — a type of depression that often shows up in winter months.

It’s the kind of condition people sometimes dismiss as “winter blues,” but health sources treat it far more seriously: SAD can affect mood, energy, sleep, motivation, and everyday functioning, and it’s not something you can simply “snap out of.”

And Monty has described how, at its worst, it didn’t just affect him — it affected everyone around him.

Then came the moment Sarah couldn’t ignore anymore

This is the part that makes people sit up: Monty has recalled a point where Sarah confronted him about how heavy things had become at home — essentially telling him he needed to get help because she couldn’t keep living with the mood swings. Reports tying back to his White Wine Question Time interview say it was the moment that finally pushed him toward action.

That detail hits hard because Monty and Sarah aren’t some new couple figuring things out — they’ve been married since 1983, raised three children, and built a life that has been both creative and chaotic over the decades.

And that’s what made this feel less like a “celebrity confession” and more like a real marriage moment: one person saying, I love you — but I can’t watch you drown and pretend it’s normal.

The first change wasn’t glamorous — it was practical

Monty has said he sought professional advice and tried treatment, including antidepressants at one point. Over time, he has also described shifting toward light-based support — using a light box to help manage winter mood changes.

That lines up with mainstream guidance: credible mental health resources commonly list talking therapies, antidepressants, and light therapy among approaches used to treat SAD.

But the more interesting part isn’t just the lamp.

It’s the routine he built around it.

The “home decision”: why Monty’s solution involved space, not togetherness

Here’s where the story turns quietly surprising: Monty has talked about giving himself structured time alone in the garden as a way of coping — not as a rejection of family life, but as a kind of mental reset.

And he’s also been honest that even though he and Sarah both love gardening, they don’t necessarily “garden together” in a cute matching-gloves way. Sometimes, it’s simply being in the same place at the same time — with enough space for him to steady himself.

In other words, the “decision” wasn’t about moving house or quitting TV. It was a home rule: protect the relationship by protecting the rhythm — especially in winter.

Why gardening became more than a job for him

Long before this latest round of headlines, Monty discussed how gardening has supported his wellbeing “through good times and bad,” and how the garden helped him emotionally when life felt like it was collapsing.

That theme shows up repeatedly in his public storytelling: when something falls apart, he returns to the garden because it gives him a sense of motion — a reminder that seasons change even when you feel stuck.

It’s also why his winter habit (even in miserable weather) matters so much: doing something small can create a thread to the next season.

The detail Monty shared that makes winter feel a little less hopeless

One of the most human things Monty has described is that December can be especially difficult, but his spirits start to lift around Boxing Day, when he’ll go out and do a bit of gardening — even if it’s just sowing seeds in the potting shed to feel like spring is coming. (That idea has been repeated widely in coverage of his comments and mirrors how SAD is commonly described: winter can be the trigger window.)

It’s not a miracle cure. It’s a coping signal:
we’re not staying here forever.

And no — he’s not disappearing from TV

If anyone’s wondering whether this “home decision” means Monty is stepping away from Gardeners’ World, there’s currently no sign of that. In fact, he has publicly confirmed plans that keep him attached to the show through at least the end of 2026.

So the picture that emerges isn’t “Monty Don is done.”

It’s more like: Monty Don is managing.

With honesty. With routine. With boundaries. And with a spouse who drew a line because she cared enough to stop pretending everything was fine.