BBC Gardeners' World Monty Don's horror health struggle and financial woes

Monty Don, the beloved presenter of Gardener's World, is a natural when it comes to horticulture. It's hard for fans to imagine him anywhere but amidst blooming flowers and lush greenery.

However, broadcaster's journey to success has been anything but smooth. He has faced bankruptcy and battled mental illness, which took a heavy toll on him and his family.

Before he discovered his passion for plants and flowers, Monty's career took him down a very different path. He mingled with A-list celebrities and even royalty.

Although his initial ventures didn't pan out, they laid the foundation for him to blossom into the gardening expert that enthusiasts rely on today.

Business loved by Princess Diana went bust

In the 1980s, Monty and his wife, Sarah Erskine, owned a trendy jewellery shop called Monty Don Jewellery. The store mainly sold costume jewellery, reports the Mirror.

At its peak, you could find their jewels in high-end stores worldwide, including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Liberty, or read about them in Vogue.

In a 2005 article for The Independent, Monty penned: "Costume jewellery has its value entirely from its design and appearance, not from the cost of its materials. Our jewellery is still in the VandA. When we were flying, we were really flying. At our best, we were the best in the world at what we did. But we were never quite as successful as our publicity convinced other people - and ourselves - that we were. We were hopelessly under-capitalised and borrowing constantly."

Their clientele included celebrities such as Boy George and Michael Jackson, and even Princess Diana was rumoured to be a customer. However, their fortunes took a turn for the worse following the Wall Street financial crash of 1987, and the entrepreneurial couple lost everything.

In their joint 2004 autobiography The Jewel Garden, Monty candidly discussed their bankruptcy, saying they felt "like lambs to the slaughter" when their luck changed, forced to sell "every stick of furniture" they owned at Leominster Market.

Sarah said: "A bad situation got worse every day. The banks wanted their money and started to bounce our cheques whilst simultaneously adding their charges - and interest on them - to the tally. Of course, it could not go on. Something had to give. As it turned out, that something proved to be our shop, our business, our savings, our furniture - and our home."

Battle with 'unhealable' depression

Monty's personal and financial troubles took their toll, and it was following this pivotal moment in his life that he began to endure what he termed "unhealable depression".

Monty's depression became so serious that Sarah also grew concerned about the welfare of their children, who had begun asking: "Why is daddy always crying?".

Detailing how he managed to seek help during this agonising period, Monty said: "[In the end] I went to see a healer. I can't remember if he was an herbalist, acupuncturist, homoeopath or white-coated faith healer, but I liked him. He had me abstain from tea, coffee and alcohol and described my various symptoms with unerring accuracy. [...] After a few months of this puritanical regime they told me I was unhealable."

The healer recommended Monty's best route to rediscovering happiness would be to seek comfort in the natural world, a pursuit that has since flourished into an extremely successful career.

Speaking candidly about his mental health battles during a BBC interview, Monty said: "I have for many years, suffered from depression, which comes and goes but tends to be something that is worse in winter. And, touch wood, it's been much better for the last few years. But for me, the benefits of nature are all about the physical connection with the rhythm of the natural world.

"Some of that rhythm is bleak - winter is cold. 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."