Our favourite TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh is leaving his home of 23 years for pastures new, and now he has finally revealed exactly why he's giving up his £4 million home with an impeccable garden that he's lovingly crafted.
The 76-year-old revealed all in BBC Gardeners' World magazine, and he explained: "[It's] time to downsize - a little - as those of us of relatively senior years are regularly told we would be wise to do.
"To be honest, we had no plans to move. When you restore an old house and make a garden around it, you pour so much of your heart and soul into it that moving on is bound to be a wrench.
© Instagram"But when you are knocking on a bit (which I refuse to believe, despite what the numbers tell me) you do muse on the future – a future which I hope will be long and fulfilling.
"Looking after four acres and a Grade II-listed house has been – and still is – a treat beyond measure, but the day will come when it starts to be overwhelming, and I’d rather move on to fresh pastures before that becomes the case."
© InstagramAs well as the lure of a house with a smaller garden, there is another reason behind the surprise move, reports Country Life, and that's to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren.
The UK icon bought his Hampshire home in 2002, and now the property in Holybourne near Alton, is being listed by Savills for £3.95 million.
Manor Farm House has undergone a transformation thanks to Alan's green-fingered skills. Speaking to Gardeners' World magazine about the renovations, he said: "We found woodworm and death-watch beetle and took out 48 skips of rubbish, but we respected the integrity of the house and made no structural changes."
Alan sends advice to the prospective new owners. "They [the new owner] must make of this piece of Hampshire earth a sanctuary that fulfils their needs and – hopefully – that of the wildlife that has made home in our organically-run haven."
© Getty ImagesAlan and his wife also have a holiday home near Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said of the location: "It's a better pace of life and it's so nice to be by the sea – that stretch of water and being cut off from the mainland gives you a sense of going overseas."
Will Alan Titchmarsh continue to share his new house online?
While Alan hasn't confirmed if his new property will feature on social media, it seems likely, considering he quashed rumours that he's retiring in the Gardeners' World piece.
The star has 173,000 followers on Instagram, for example, and he often shares alfresco videos giving users ultimate advice for tending to their own patches of land. Come summertime, Alan's feed is awash with a kaleidoscope of colours as he shows off all of the flowers he's grown from seed.
Who is Alan Titchmarsh's wife?
Alan is making the big move with his wife Alison, to whom he has been married since 1975. It was an amateur dramatics group that drew them together and now Alan describes Alison as his "best friend" – how sweet!
How do they keep the spark alive? He explained in a previous interview: "Romance is about being thoughtful. I have made Alison tea for 45 years – but mind you, she's ironed my shirts every week for 44 years, which is the greater gift […] I'm a lucky man because she's the most unmaterialistic person I know."
