Alan Titchmarsh admits 'love can be transitory' in marriage update before major milestone

TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh has been married to his wife, Alison Titchmarsh, for almost five decades and has opened up about the secret to a long marriage

Alan Titchmarsh, the Ground Force legend who has been married to his wife, Alison Titchmarsh, since 1975, recently gave a candid insight into their nearly five-decade-long relationship.

The gardening guru, also known for his stint on BBC's Gardeners' World, opened up about his marriage during an interview with Saga magazine.

Alan revealed: "Would you believe it's 48 years! I'm always asked the secret to a long marriage, but there's no easy answer. Shared values, a sense of humour.

"Yes, you fall in love, but love can be transitory. What really keeps you together is liking each other... being great friends and companions."

Despite Alan's success, when the couple first met, they "couldn't afford" to go out for dinner and even saved 25p a week with their butcher to ensure they had a Christmas joint.

Speaking to Yours magazine in 2023, he said: "I'm a lucky man, because she's the most un-materialistic person I know."

He also shared that they would previously "try to avoid the milkman" when times were tough financially.

Meanwhile, in a candid conversation on James O'Brien's Full Disclosure podcast, Alan Titchmarsh shared the "heartbreaking" question his young daughter posed to him during a goodnight kiss.

Alan confessed that his demanding work schedule often required him to be away from home for extended periods when his children were small, leading to feelings of guilt. However, he acknowledged that it was a necessary sacrifice at that point in his career.

He recalled: "I would go away on a Sunday evening and come back later in the weekend. I do remember the heartbreaking thing of kissing one of them goodnight and them saying, 'Will you be here in the morning?'

"I knew I wouldn't, and that was hard, of course. I did say, I mean every weekend, it's not as if I'm in the army going away for three months or a year or whatever, so that was my excuse."

Fans can tune into 'Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh' this morning on ITV from 9:30am.