Monty Don expresses having ‘no regrets’ regarding his involvement with a friend’s wife, citing an ‘intense attraction’
Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has shared about encountering his wife Sarah while she was previously married to someone he was closely connected with. He acknowledged having 'no regrets' about the beginning of their relationship.
Monty Don has expressed no remorse over his role in the dissolution of a friend’s marriage and subsequent marriage to his friend’s wife. The Gardeners’ World presenter revealed that he fell in love with Sarah while she was already married to a wealthy botanist.
Reflecting on his feelings for Sarah, Monty described their initial encounter as an intense attraction rather than love at first sight. He had known Sarah’s husband well and socialized with them for about six months before his feelings for her developed. Monty recalled pondering why she had met her husband before him and why she was committed to someone else despite his strong attraction towards her.
“I never entertained the thought of breaking up a marriage or pursuing someone else’s wife,” Monty clarified during an interview on the White Wine Question Time podcast.
“Approximately a year later, our paths crossed when her husband was away for around four months on a field expedition; he worked as a botanist.”
The Gardener’s World host, who has shared a 40-year-long partnership with Sarah, went on, “She chose me, and for about six months, it was an immensely challenging and unhappy arrangement because he understandably wasn’t pleased with the situation.”
Monty disclosed that his friend “felt betrayed” and was “deeply angry” about their actions, but the presenter confessed that he didn’t harbor any guilt about the circumstance.
“I’ve always carried some guilt, but simultaneously, there’s a sense of resolve. All is fair in love and war,” he remarked. “There’s no tiptoeing around. If you choose to be with someone, even if it means disrupting a marriage, you can’t then claim ‘Oh, I feel terribly guilty.’
“I don’t. I thought it was wonderful, and I’m content it happened. I empathize with him, but it occurred, and I’m genuinely pleased about it. I have no regrets whatsoever.”
Monty proposed to Sarah on a rowboat in Scotland and insisted on remaining on the water until his partner changed her mind, having initially expressed uncertainty. Subsequently, he covertly arranged the wedding within a week of their return home, giving his fiancée a mere 48 hours’ notice.
The presenter has encountered challenging moments in his marriage too, with Sarah issuing an ultimatum about his depression, threatening to leave if he didn’t seek help—prompting him to do so.
