Former Gardeners’ World host Alan Titchmarsh has opened up about a deeply personal experience, revealing his emotions felt “very odd” after outliving his father. Speaking on Gyles Brandreth’s ‘Rosebud’ podcast, the TV personality shared the poignant detail that his dad passed away “suddenly” from a heart attack at 62, while his mother died in 2002 at the age of 78, reports the Express.

Now 75, Alan reflected on surpassing his father’s age, saying: “It’s very odd being older than your father ever was.”

He went on to express gratitude that both his parents witnessed his success before they passed, stating: “The lovely thing was, from my point of view, they saw me get on before they died and I don’t know, there’s that moment, a lot of you will have experienced it, when your parents are both gone, you suddenly get the feeling that there’s nobody left to impress.”

He added: “There’s nobody left to make proud of you and I was lucky enough that both my mum particularly, who died in 2002 saw me getting on and my dad who died in 1986 saw me get on as well.”

Recounting a touching memory of his father, Alan shared an anecdote about a time he returned home after moving to London. While walking with his dad, someone called out, praising Alan’s achievements, to which his father proudly responded: “Aye, considering he’s not but a lad.”

The famous broadcaster reminisced fondly about his father’s witticism, which left such an impression on him that he titled one of his autobiographical works after it: “And I’ve written three volumes of memoirs and the one that’s about childhood is called Not But A Lad.”

Alan Titchmarsh’s career has been marked by many highlights, not least when he became the face of ‘Gardeners’ World’ in 1996, a position he cherished until 2002 before Monty Don stepped into his shoes. His initial rise to fame occurred in 1988 with the hosting of ‘House in a Garden’ on BBC Radio 2.