CELEBRITY gardener Monty Don, who is based in Herefordshire, has said that his beloved dog Nell sadly died last night (Friday October 20) following a battle with cancer.

The star of BBC Gardener's World took to social media to share the heartbreaking news with his followers, along with a picture of Nell as a puppy and a more recent photo.

Monty wrote: "Lovely Nell died last night. She was buried in one of my jackets with flowers, balls and her favourite biscuits. Her end was peaceful and dignified and ended obvious suffering but it never gets any easier to bear. So life goes on, but for the moment we are very, very sad."

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He said that Nell had been diagnosed with cancer in June, and that every day since then had been a "gift".

Followers quickly took to the comments on Facebook. Pam Moore wrote that losing a dog "never gets any easier", while Alex Louise commented: "So sorry for your loss. We had our boy put to sleep too. It's the kindest thing but the absolute worst part of having an animal."

Monty has had many canine friends over the years, but Nell and his other late dog Nigel have been two of the most famous. The two golden retrievers used to appear on BBC Gardener's World alongside their owner at Don's Longmeadow garden in Herefordshire.