Gardeners' World host Monty Don is adored by countless Brits for his practical gardening tips, but there is one person in the UK who has a distinct lack of affection for the horticultural expert. This is the person who was most negatively affected by Monty's romance with his now-wife, Sarah. 

Although the couple have been married for over 40 years now, Monty has described their love story as "extremely disturbing" and "very unpleasant". He tied the knot with his wife on July 29, 1983, and they went on to build a life together at their stunning home in Longmeadow. The pair have raised three kids together - Adam, Freya, and Tom - and have a rock solid partnership. But the start of their relationship was far from conventional.

Monty first met Sarah while studying at Cambridge University. The catch is that at the time, Sarah was married to another man - a postgraduate student who was one of Monty's rowing teammates. The gardening expert has since admitted that when he first saw Sarah, he experienced an instant attraction to her. He told the Guardian: "I looked at her and she looked at me, and it was as though you recognise someone you've never met. You just know. I remember thinking, 'Oh, that's a great shame, she's married.'"

But that did not hold him back forever. For a year neither of them addressed any connection they might have felt. However, when Sarah's husband left for a three-month trip and failed to stay in touch with her, the pair finally gave in to their feelings. Monty described their relationship as both intensely passionate and deeply troubling. He added: "All my background said I was breaking a moral code. This man hadn't mistreated his wife in any way and what I was doing was wrong, but it was clearly so very right."

He continued: "It was very messy and very unpleasant for everyone involved, and not at all noble. Everybody was hurt. I was doing what I always do, which is live for the moment." The fallout from their affair was severe. Sarah's husband, who has been described by Monty as "a baronial Scottish figure", was furious and never spoke to them again.

The couple escaped to a borrowed house on the North Yorkshire Moors, where they lived in near isolation while Monty attempted to write a novel. Their early days together were far from glamorous, as they had to rely on farm work to make ends meet and often were paid in food rather than money. Despite the turbulent start to their relationship, Monty and Sarah went on to build a life together that has been marked by a deep, enduring love for each other.

Sarah stood by Monty as the pair went through personal and financial struggles, such as the collapse of their jewellery business and Monty's long battle with depression. The dad-of-three has repeatedly expressed his devotion to Sarah in interviews. When asked in 2018 about his favourite scent, he simply replied: "The nape of my wife Sarah's neck."

He gave The Financial Times the same answer two years later. When asked about his status as a "sex symbol" in a 2023 interview, he dismissed the idea of ever making a move on another woman, saying, "I've been living with somebody for 43 years, who I love more and more." In a separate interview with the Guardian, Monty added: "I genuinely love my wife and find her sexy and fantastic, and I realise how lucky we are, so I wouldn't do anything to blow that."