ITV's Alan Titchmarsh admits 'I nearly lost it' as he shares fan encounter
ITV's Alan Titchmarsh admits 'I nearly lost it' as he shares fan encounter
Alan Titchmarsh has spent his career being adored by fans - but there was one moment when he admits he didn't respond to one in the most friendly way
Alan Titchmarsh's wife Alison, with whom he has enjoyed half a century of marriage, ensures his celebrity status doesn't swell his ego and fondly refers to him as "just her little gardener".
The TV gardening expert has been sharing an insight into his relationship as well as some fan encounters - including unwelcome attention.
Alan and Alison's romance began at an amateur dramatics group in 1975, and despite amassing a fortune reported to be in excess of £10million, Alan maintains that fame hasn't altered him. In a heartfelt chat with Saga magazine, he shared: "We're still the people we were when we married. I hope my head hasn't been turned."
Together, they find joy in their Grade II listed Georgian farmhouse set in Hampshire's idyllic countryside and a charming seaside residence on the Isle of Wight.
Alan Titchmarsh is a huge hit on TV
(Image: (Image: Getty) )
Centred around their two adult daughters, Camilla and Polly, Alan and Alison remain unaffected by the quirks of fame, managing unusual encounters with grace and humour.
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Recalling a peculiar moment in a restaurant, Alan recounted how a keen fan disrupted a meal by gripping his arm exuberantly, proclaiming, "Now I've got you!" He confessed to nearly losing his composure: "[That was] the one time I nearly lost it... my fork was halfway to my mouth. It was hard to keep my cool," reports the Express.
Not even while flying could the renowned gardening guru who hosts ITV's Love Your Garden escape attention from fans.
Alan and his wife Alison
(Image: (Image: GETTY) )
He remembered an awkward in-flight encounter with a fan, saying: "I was ever so slightly crabby on an aeroplane, when the woman came down the aisle and demanded to know, 'What's wrong with my tomatoes?'"
"I said, 'Well, I can't tell from here.' She said, 'There's no need to be like that!'"
Despite the occasional stressful incident, Alan generally meets fans with goodwill, keeping in mind: "They bought our house!"
Article continues below
The Chelsea Flower Show favourite was recently awarded a CBE by King Charles, and much like his "sexiest man" awards, he finds it "flattering beyond belief".
Love Your Garden is available to stream on ITVX
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Last night's episode, the third of this series, presented a lapdance, finger sucking, a string of snogs and even a three-way smooch. Tommy and Megan, Dejon and Meg, Shakira and Blu and throuple Helena, Harry and Conor have all locked lips. And the ep teased Helena and Harry's saucy sleepover, with them sharing an afternoon kiss on the Hideaway's swing and joking they would 'wait five minutes after everyone's gone to sleep then sneak in overnight.' Frankly, it's the green shoots of recovery the long-running series needs. The launch drew an audience of 1.4 million across all devices, which ITV proudly reported was ITV2's biggest show this year. But it represented a drop on last year's 1.6 million and was a far cry from its heyday when 6 million tuned in. As the series celebrates its tenth anniversary, there's still some love left for the format - all 11 series have been streamed a whopping 2billion times to date on ITVX. This year's up-for-it cast could prove to be the Viagra the series needs. 6 6 The dating show genre has upped its game in recent years, with Rylan Clark's Dating Naked asking its cast to find love entirely in the nude. And 12 innocents even explored popping their cherries on Channel 4's Virgin Island. But will Helena and Harry end up regretting their private night? Zara Holland, now 29, crown for being Love Island's most talked-about bonker after her beauty pageant scandal in 2016. After the series, she said: 'I regret massively having sex on the show. 'If I could turn back the clock, I would. 'I know I didn't do anything illegal, I was twenty at the time, there's nothing to be ashamed of but yes, you know, it was the biggest regret.' Montana Brown's relationship with Alex Beattie only lasted a couple of weeks when they left the villa. And Montana, now 29 and a mum of two, came to look back on their hour-long sex sessions during the 2017 series with regret. She said: 'In hindsight, having sex on TV wasn't the best idea. My advice to the new hopefuls is not to do it. 'If I could have done it differently, I wouldn't have had sex. 'It's all everyone wants to speak about now.' While some regret having sex on TV just once, Kem Cetinay's remorse comes from the fact he had so much. The 2017 series winner, now 29, spoke about his amorous stay in the villa with Amber Davies. He said: 'Maybe I shouldn't have had as much sex as I did – maybe once or twice would have been enough. 'Now I've got a business and I've got staff, and if new recruits search for me, some of the first articles that come up will be about me having sex on TV.' There's plenty of Islanders who still love the fact they for lusty on screen. It's as if people wanted me to be ashamed, but I'm not going to be. Megan Barton-Hanson Jess Shears, now 32, romped with Dom Lever on 2017's series and she reckons hooking up in the villa helped cement their relationship. They are now married with two children. She said: 'I don't regret having sex on TV as such, but it's a bit strange that the whole nation knows about it. 'No one normally knows about your sexual relations but then at the end of the day if that worked for Dom and I, I'm glad that we did because I'm still with him now.' Kady McDermott, now 29, also didn't regret her on-screen sex with boyfriend Scott Thomas in the 2016 series. The couple even stayed together for 18 months after leaving the villa. She said: 'I personally don't regret having sex because it was with someone I was actually with and loved.' And Megan Barton-Hanson is another who has vocally supported pursuing a physical connection on the show after hooking up with Wes Nelson in 2018. She said: 'There is still so much stigma around women even saying they enjoy sex, let alone doing it on national TV. 'When Wes and I were interviewed afterwards, I would always be asked if I regretted having sex on TV and if my parents were embarrassed. They didn't ask Wes. 'It's as if people wanted me to be ashamed, but I'm not going to be.' *Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
