Monty Don reveals a never-before-seen photo of his beloved Golden Retriever Ned as a puppy

Gardeners’ World star Monty Don has delighted fans by sharing a sweet unearthed photo of his beloved dog Ned as a puppy.

The British horticulturist and presenter, 68, is known for his love of dogs and regularly invites his furry friends to join him on screen – and Ned is no exception.

Viewers have grown to love the adorable golden retriever, who Monty and his wife welcomed into their family in October 2022.

Yesterday, he shared a never-before-seen photo of the pooch when he was a puppy on Instagram.

In a heartwarming moment, Ned lies on the presenter’s lap and drifts off to sleep while his owner watches lovingly.

He captioned the throwback image: “I stumbled across this photo of Ned and I a few days after he joined us in September ’22.”

One fan gushed: ‘Aww Ned, he’s so happy with his new life.’ A second joked: “Honestly, there’s nothing like this feeling.”

Meanwhile, a third wrote: “Nothing beats puppy days, they keep you on your toes but it’s also priceless,” alongside a heart emoji.

Another fan said: ‘They grow so fast. Our Lab came to us in August and now he looks all grown up, but his only ambition is to still sit on my lap.’

Others commented: ‘Too cute. I can’t wait for more Ned in the new season’ and ‘Love Ned. I can’t wait for Gardeners World to start.’

“Such a beautiful picture of perfect love” and “So beautiful Ned,” fans of the pup added.

Someone else commented: ‘Beautiful. Time doesn’t fly, it seems like only a short time ago he was a puppy.’

Although no longer a little puppy, Ned is still the younger of Monty’s two dogs, with Yorkshire Terrier Patti being the older of the pair.

But as a fan of Golden Retrievers, whose names all start with an N, Monty has had quite a group of furry friends over the years.

Monty’s website even has a section dedicated to man’s best friend, which states: ‘I have lived with dogs all my life and therefore it is completely normal for me that wherever I am in the garden I have to be accompanied by one or two dogs.

‘It’s their garden as much as it is mine or any other member of the family. What I take for granted is that they generally do absolutely no damage and completely respect the garden.

‘They (rarely) dig holes or break through the flower beds. They treat the long paths like bowling alleys that they run along in pursuit of the ball we are obliged to throw, but it is harmless enough.’

Broadcast dog Nigel became the surprise star of BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World, receiving his own fan mail, fan accounts on social media and even lending his name to Don’s book Nigel: My Family And Other Dogs.

However, the beloved pooch sadly died in May 2020 after ‘suddenly falling ill with violent, unstoppable seizures’.

The television personality paid tribute to his ‘old friend’ via his Twitter and Instagram accounts at the time, telling his followers that Nigel was ‘happy, healthy and his usual calm, sweet self’ until the end.

In October last year, three years after the loss of Nigel, Monty sadly announced that his other beloved dog Nell had died of cancer – also a golden dog.

He wrote on October 21: ‘I wanted to tell you about my new book coming out next week but that can wait as my dear sweet Nell passed away last night.

“She was diagnosed with cancer in June and every day this summer has been a gift, but it’s over now.”

He added: ‘We buried her in the garden next to Nigel, wrapped in one of my jackets with flowers, balls and her favorite biscuits.’

Ned’s new photo comes just after Monty returned to our TV screens, having recently dismissed rumors that he was leaving the much-loved Gardeners’ World show.

But while he continues to delight audiences, the horticulture presenter has also spoken openly about the challenges he has faced in the past with his physical and mental health.

Speaking to Radio Times Magazine last year, the media personality revealed he is likely to give up the hit show’s ‘relentless treadmill’ as he approaches his 70s.

However, last week he told The One Show that he would be staying at Gardeners’ World for ‘at least another three years’.

In the meantime, he starred in three episodes of ‘Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens’ – the first two have already aired and the third will be released on March 8.

It was filmed last year when the presenter spent seven weeks in Spain in April, May, June and October, covering more than 40 different gardens across Spain.