Adam Frost has been a mainstay on the BBC’s Gardeners’ World for many years now, but the green-fingered star has faced a number of battles away from the cameras
Morning Live: Adam Frost talks about his illness
Adam Frost, a familiar face from Gardeners’ World, has been charming viewers for years with his gardening prowess and award-winning work at the Chelsea Flower Show. The 55 year old TV presenter, who grew up loving the outdoors and spending time in his grandparents’ greenhouse, is a firm favourite on the popular BBC show alongside Monty Don.
In addition to his appearances on Gardeners’ World, Adam has also graced our screens on The Alan Titchmarsh Show and The One Show. Away from the cameras, he’s achieved considerable success, bagging seven gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.
However, beyond his television career, Adam has been battling a long-term condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. He’s also offered advice to others dealing with the same illness.
But what else do we know about his life, including his home life?
Adam Frost tearful as he opens up on 20-year battle with devastating illness
The Express reports Adam Frost got emotional as he opened up about his life-long illness that he has had for 20 years. Adam suffers from Fibromyalgia – a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles and soft tissues throughout the body.
He revealed: “But around 20 years ago, I started to experience some unusual symptoms. I started to experience these very odd pains. They started in my neck, back, and shoulders, like this throbbing, and that then just moved through the rest of my body.”
He described his gruelling journey towards diagnosis: “On top of that, I wasn’t sleeping very well. I’d go to work and come home, exhausted. For almost two years, I was sent from pillar to post as doctors struggled to identify what was causing me to be so unwell.”
Feeling relieved after finally receiving a diagnosis, Frost admitted it still required another year of navigating his health to find treatment.
Frost shared insights into the disease: “Fibromyalgia is an incurable chronic pain condition affecting around 2.5 million people in the UK.”
“It’s often characterized as widespread pain, fatigue, and brain fog, but symptoms are changeable and can sometimes be mistaken for other conditions, which makes it a challenge to diagnose.”
Adam Frost previously shared he suffered from depression and burnout and encouraged others to speak up about their mental health.
Adam Frost’s life outside of Gardeners’ World
Known for his remarkable tenure in garden design, Adam’s first appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was in 2007, with subsequent projects for Land’s End, QVC, Honda, Volkswagen, and even crafting the Homebase garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013.
His personal struggle highlights the challenges faced by many with fibromyalgia, bringing attention to the condition’s impact on everyday life.
Adam is not only a landscaper but also an author, having released several books including “Gardener’s World: How I Garden” – a book brimming with “easy ideas and inspiration for making beautiful gardens anywhere”; “RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space”; “RHS The Creative Gardener: Inspiration and Advice to Create the Space You Want”; and “Real Gardens: Seven Amazing Chelsea Gold Medal-Winning Designs”.
In addition to his writing, Adam runs his own garden design company, Adam Frost Design, located near his home in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Who is Adam Frost married to?
Adam is currently married to Sulina Frost. The pair first crossed paths in the 1990s when she was working as a manager at John Lewis, and they tied the knot shortly after.
The couple have four children together, Abi-Jade, Jacob, Amber-Lily, and Oakley. Sulina shares Adam’s passion for gardening and loves spending time with him in their garden.
Adam and Sulina have faced numerous challenges in their personal life, including a frightening health scare and a significant house move following a reassessment of their lifestyle during lockdown.
In 2022, Adam contracted COVID-19, while his wife Sulina fell ill and was hospitalised with sepsis. Tragically, their then 15-year-old daughter was also diagnosed with an eating disorder.
“Her mum was in hospital and she ended up really poorly. She ended up with an eating disorder, like a lot of 15 year olds, she had friends going through it at school. So that took its toll,” he shared.
Why did Adam Frost decide to move house?
Adam Frost’s reason for moving home
Adam once lived in a stunning 18th-century farmhouse in Lincolnshire, but he decided to sell the property in 2022 due to health issues within his family.
Speaking of his former habitation, Villa Farm, where he was often spotted on TV cultivating the splendid garden over five years, Adam remarked: “it was great with the house and the garden”, but he realised that, “Actually, what we realised was that it was great when everybody was well.”
During an appearance on Gardener’s World, Adam confirmed his recent move and reflected on life’s pace, saying, “Like so many of us over the last couple of years, I had time to just stop and think. Probably, in reality for the first time since I was about 16 years old – and realised that my life is slightly chaotic.
“So as a family, we’ve just decided to scale back, so I can spend more time with them – but it does mean I’ve got a smaller garden.”
Gardeners’ World airs every Friday at 8pm on BBC Two.