Monty Don urges people to put down phones and ‘pay attention to what is actually going on’

‘I think the great lesson to be learned is opening ourselves up,’ said the Gardener’s World presenter

Monty Don, the host of BBC Two’s Gardeners' World, has urged the public to put down their phones.

The beloved presenter spoke about the value of looking away from a screen and “opening ourselves up” to our surroundings.

Don told the BBC: “I live in the middle of the country but whenever I’m in a city, the thing I notice most – and which shocks me most – is how many people are walking along with headphones in, looking at a phone.”

“They’re not noticing anything at all – the weather, the sky, any other sounds,” he said. “And that has to be bad for you. It has to be.”

The 65-year-old, who has been broadcasting and writing about gardens since the Eighties, continued: “I think the great lesson to be learned is opening ourselves up, pay attention to what is actually going on.”

Gardeners' World host Monty Don with his pet dog, Nigel (BBC)

Ahead of winter’s arrival, Don also opened up about how the change in weather can worsen feelings of depression for many, including himself. 

He said: “I have for many years suffered from depression, which comes and goes but tends to be something that is worse in winter.”

The presenter offered some advice to those who feel similar mood fluctuations with the weather, stating: “And yet even if inside you are bleak and grey and cold if you believe that spring will blossom inside you, as well as outside in the garden, that’s powerful. So that’s how it works for me.”