Adam Frost, the 56-year-old presenter of BBC’s Gardeners' World, has bravely revealed his ongoing battle with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that affects approximately 2.5 million people in the UK. This long-term illness is marked by widespread pain, fatigue, and a host of other challenging symptoms.
In a candid conversation with the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Adam shared how he has coped with the condition through his passions. “I worked out that I’ve used plants and music all my life as a way of escape,” he said. He described how each section of his garden is tied to a specific song, and how certain plants remind him of precious memories with his grandparents, friends, and travels abroad.
Since joining Gardeners' World as a co-host alongside Monty Don in 2016, Adam has also opened up about his past struggle with depression. He credited horticulture with helping him navigate that difficult period, which included sessions with a psychiatrist. Adam recounted his therapist’s memorable advice: “If you’re thinking about retiring, go up the high street, there’s an undertakers, go in and choose yourself a box.” This tough love motivated Adam to stay active and engaged.
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Reflecting on his mindset, Adam said, “I’m a grafter, but I have a different mindset now. I get up to have a nice day. Why would I retire? Retire and do what? Garden? At least this way I get paid for it.”
Adam also shared a recent family crisis when his wife Sulina became critically ill with sepsis, requiring a 12-week hospital stay. During this time, Adam struggled emotionally as his 15-year-old daughter started self-harming and developed an eating disorder. “Then I caught Covid. I went into a room on my own for 10 days and my brain, all the adrenaline I’d been living on — everything came crashing down. I was sitting in a corner bawling my eyes out,” he revealed, showing the real human side behind the gardening expert.
Despite these hardships, Adam Frost’s story is one of resilience, hope, and the healing power of nature and music in managing life’s toughest challenges.