Monty Don 'rushed' to hospital for emergency treatment
Monty Don has revealed that he was rushed to A&E on Friday 22 November and stayed in hospital until Monday to receive treatment for an undisclosed illness.
The Gardener’s World star, 69, shared a video on Instagram to update his fans and apologised for cancelling six tour dates of his show, An Audience with Monty Don, that were due to take place in Exeter, Truro, Bath and Nottingham.
Addressing guests who bought tickets to the shows, Don said: "Hello. I am so sorry to have disappointed all those people who were going to come and see me in Exeter and Truro and Bath and Nottingham. But on Friday afternoon, I was rushed to A&E. I was kept in the hospital over Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and had to have drips and all the rest of it," he explained.
While he did not give any details about what led to hospital stay, Don reassured fans that he returned to his home on Monday night and was feeling "much better".
"I’m going to spend the next few days quietly recuperating here at home and hopefully by the weekend I’ll be back to full fitness."
Previous health issues
Don has previously spoken about his health issues, having suffered a minor stroke in 2008. He told the Daily Mail after the incident that he thought he was "dying" when he suddenly felt extremely unwell while walking through his gardens at his home in Herefordshire.
"As I walked, it felt as if I was tipping over, so I’d lean the other way and find myself tipping into a hedge instead," he said. "I cannot over-exaggerate how alarmed and unwell I felt. It was incredibly frightening because it was as if I had entered totally uncharted territory. I said to my wife Sarah, 'Hold me because I think I’m dying and, if I am, I want to die in your arms'."
Six weeks after the scary event, Don had a brain scan that confirmed he had a blockage in one of the four arteries leading to the brain, which led to the mini stroke. Luckily, there was no lasting damage.
He has also previously talked about his mental health, especially how the winter months impact him. Don said he struggles with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which he manages by getting outside as much as possible.
He told The Travel Diaries podcast: "On a practical level, on a day-to-day level, go outside. I'm talking now and it's raining, and it's grey, but I will take the dog outside because it's better than sitting inside, feeling miserable, or even the sort of onset of feeling miserable.
"You need to make yourself go outside. It doesn't matter what you do, go for a walk, if you have a garden, do something, go to the shops, do anything. Go outside, ideally for 20 minutes, preferably for half an hour."
Read more about winter health:
Monty Don overcomes health battle that affects millions with simple exercise (LeicestershireLive, 2-min read)
Why doctors are warning against using decongestants to beat a stuffy nose (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
Top NHS doctor urges Brits to avoid winter health mistake and end up stranded in A&E (SurreyLive, 3-min read)
