Away from the TV sets and gardens, Alan Titchmarsh is loved-up with his wife Alison
Alan Titchmarsh is a TV legend – but who is his rarely-seen wife?
The beloved presenter has been a staple on screens for several decades. From stints on Love Your Weekend to his own chat show, the green-fingered expert has remained booked and busy throughout the years.
Away from the TV sets and gardens, though, Alan lives a very low-key life with his wife Alison, whom he met several years ago.
But why did Alan get his ‘head turned’ while he was with Alison? What was the reason she banned him from appearing on Strictly? And how come Alan ended up packing a bag and leaving after she told him some devaststaing news? Here’s everything we know about Alan and Alison’s romance.
Alan and wife Alison
Alan and Alison first met when they were in their early twenties at an amateur dramatics group. Cementing their relationship, the pair tied the knot in 1975.
The couple also share two children. Their eldest, Polly, was born in 1980, followed by Camilla, who was born in 1982. They are grandparents too, to four children.
In 2020, Alan opened up about their romance and revealed the key to their lasting marriage. He told Yours magazine: “Romance is about being thoughtful.
“I have made Alison tea for 45 years – but mind you, she’s ironed my shirts every week for 44 years, which is the greater gift.”
Alison banned Alan from Strictly
Although Alan is a TV staple, there is one show he will not take part in: Strictly Come Dancing, due to a restriction placed by his wife, Alison.
And despite the BBC has approaching Alan half a dozen times to showcase his moves on the dance stage, he was advised against it by his wife, citing concerns for his knee health.
In conversation with Saga magazine, Alan shared: “Alison was a dance tutor and she is convinced my knees wouldn’t stay the course.” But it wasn’t solely his wellbeing that deterred him from participating.
“On top of that, it is a huge commitment; you start in September and you might be there until Christmas. There’s too much other stuff I need to be getting on with,” he added.
Alan on ‘having his head turned’
In 2011, Alan joked about having his ‘head turned’ amid his marriage to Alison due to his love of all things flowers and plants. Speaking to The Guardian in 2011, Alan was quizzed about his love of plants.
“The old flame I’ve loved for 50 years is the humble pelargonium. You can neglect them and yet they are good, shapely plants,” Alan told The Guardian.
He also admitted that his ‘head had been turned’ over a new plant he had discovered. He said: “My head has been turned by Annabelle, a summer-flowering hydrangea, with floppy heads of creamy white, fading to palest green.”
Alan’s apology to wife amid ‘struggles’
In 2025, Alan extended an apology to his wife Alison as he opened up about a personal “struggle” he faces.
In an interview, when quizzed about any behaviours that might “irritate” his spouse, Alan confessed it didn’t take him long to come up with an answer. The 76-year-old gardening expert recognises himself as a natural “potterer”.
Penning his thoughts in Gardeners’ World magazine, Alan wrote: “What irritates my wife above all else is my inability to sit still for more than five minutes. I am, you see, a born potterer.”
Alan on packing his bag and leaving after sad news
In his 2009 autobiography Knave of Spades, Alan recalled how he ended up ‘packing a bag’ and leaving after Alison told him some devastating news.
The telly star reflected upon one of the most harrowing moments of his life, remembering the day his father passed away. He said: “As a couple they were totally devoted.
“Apart from Mum’s hens and the fire service they did nothing without each other, so when my father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1986, the bottom fell out of her world. She was devastated.”
Alan described how he had been away for work when the tragedy occurred. “I had been working in Stoke-on-Trent at the garden festival. There were no mobile phones back then. I drove back home to Hampshire, oblivious to what had happened, and only when I got there could Alison tell me the news.
“I walked up to the top of the garden and stood for a bit. Leaning on a tree. Then I came back to the house, packed a bag, got in the car and drove up to Yorkshire,” he shared.
Watch Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh every Sunday at 9:30am on ITV1
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
