Despite his health woes over the years, ITV’s gardener Alan Titchmarsh is still thriving in his gardening career and has no plans to give it up anytime soon
Alan Titchmarsh recently said he has no plans to retire, and is keen to work for as long as possible. However, while the 76-year-old is still feeling youthful, he’s openly discussed his health fears and issues he’s faced over the years.
As he returns to television screens today for his ITV show Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh, we take a look into the gardener’s health admissions and how he’s overcome his troubles.
Fears of dying young
The gardener has previously expressed concerns about dying “at a relatively young age” following the death of his father at 62.
Previously speaking to Yours Magazine, he said: “The thing is, the men in my family have had a tendency to die from heart disease at a relatively young age. My dad, for instance, died suddenly in 1986 from a heart attack, aged just 62.”
Following doctor’s advice for his own health, Alan admitted in 2014 that he took statins everyday in the hope of living longer. “I wish I wasn’t,” he admitted. “I don’t like the thought of taking tablets every day, but I’m following my doctor’s advice. He thinks it’s a good idea.”
More recently, he shared how he had managed to live a good life so far, claiming: “I owe everything to good luck and a following wind!”
He went on to say having a job he loves outdoors had also helped with his wellbeing, as has his supportive family. “I enjoy my food and drink – in moderation of course – and above all I laugh a lot. It’s worked for me,” he added.
Knee surgery
It’s no surprise that Alan has suffered from knee pain for many years, due to his lengthy stint as a gardener.In 2018, the father-of-two revealed he had an operation on both knees to remove damaged tissue and cartilage.
Speaking to The Mirror at the time, he said: “I had it all cleared out and they feel so much better. “I’ve got bad knees as a result of a lot of kneeing over the years from gardening, and it has got a bit frayed in there, but I am a spring chicken again now.”
More recently, he said he that while his knees are “fine at the moment”, he is aware that he needs to be “gentle to them”.
Alan added: “I am just aware that I need to respect them and be gentle to them at the age of 74 – then hopefully they’ll last a while longer!”
With this in mind, the gardener insists that this is one of the reasons why he has turned down a chance of appearing on Strictly Come Dancing.
He told Saga Magazine: “Alison [his wife] was a dance tutor and she is convinced my knees wouldn’t stay the course.”
Back pain
Due to many years of bending down, Alan has also experienced some inevitable back pain. Speaking to Wise Living Magazine in 2020, he discussed the impact of trying to make his garden “more beautiful”.
“Beautifying the earth on whatever scale is the most glorious privilege,” he shared. But admitting he had to pay the price for that improvement, Alan continued: “I get a bit of backache from 60 years of gardening.”
Despite this, Alan said he counted himself as “very lucky” to still being able to work at his age.
Hearing issues
Alan has admitted to using “invisible” hearing aids, particularly when it comes to presenting. The host previously said he is keen to end the stigma around the device, and urged those suffering with hearing loss to “get real” and face it.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “There’s such a stigma attached to them isn’t there, you know old folk with hearing aids.”But I know several young people who are having to wear hearing aids and feel absolutely devastated by it.”
After praising Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, who wears a cochlear implant, as a “beacon of hope”, he went on to discuss his need for a hearing aid.
“I do wear hearing aids, particularly for television, and it just crisps things up,” he shared.
“They’re invisible, just behind my ears. I don’t mind people knowing, because the more folks [that] stand up and say, ‘Oh, for goodness sake, get real – this just happens as you get a bit older,’ [the better].”
Alan went on to say while he isn’t “stone deaf”, his family have noticed a change in how he absorbs information since wearing his hearing aid.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh continues today at 9.30am on ITV and ITVX
Tama Motsinger
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