Gardeners' World star Monty Don and his fans were heartbroken when his beloved dog Nigel passed away back in 2020.
On Wednesday, the green-fingered presenter shared a new post about his late companion, who frequently made appearances on the BBC show. Alongside two snaps of Nigel, Monty revealed that his furry friend would have marked his 15th birthday.
The touching post included one snap of Nigel sleeping next to a personalised tennis ball, alongside another which sees the golden retriever happily gazing into the distance while standing in a field. He wrote in the caption: "This chap would have been 15 today. #Nigel."
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Fans flocked to the comments section to share their support for the horticultural expert. "Dear Nigel, his character shone through on screen and we adored him for it. I loved seeing the fun he had with tennis balls, how he showed Nellie the way and being a perfect companion. Bless you, Nigel," wrote one fan, while another added: "How he is missed. Sleep easy, Nigel Bear."
Monty's beloved companion passed away in May 2020 after suddenly falling ill. Following his death, the 67-year-old presenter paid tribute to his "old friend" on social media, revealing that Nigel was "happy, healthy and his usual calm, lovely self" right up until the end.
While Monty clearly still misses Nigel, he has three other dogs to keep him entertained. He shares golden retrievers Nellie and Ned, and a Yorkshire terrier named Patti with his wife, Sarah.
Monty has made no secret of the fact that he's a big dog lover and opened up about his close bond with his pets on his website. "I have lived with dogs all my life and so it is absolutely natural to me that wherever I am in the garden I should be accompanied by a dog or two," he wrote. "It is their garden as much as mine or any other members of the family.
"Something that I take for granted is that, by and large, they do absolutely no damage and respect the garden completely," he continued. "They (rarely) dig holes or crash through the flower beds. They do treat the long paths as bowling alleys down which they career in chase of the ball that we are obliged to throw, but it is harmless enough."
Nigel's 15th birthday comes just days after Monty revealed that he had come down with coronavirus. On Friday, the TV presenter revealed that he had contracted coronavirus and was feeling "terrible".
Sharing a photo of a positive Covid test, he wrote in the caption: "That would explain why I have felt terrible for the past couple of days."
Thankfully, Monty is making a speedy recovery and managed to make it out of bed for a walk in his garden at his home in Herefordshire on Monday.
Posting a snap showing his idyllic, flower-filled garden, he wrote in the caption: "Ventured out of bed for a walk round the garden - best medicine."
More of Monty's dogs...
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