Gardeners' World star Frances Tophill's home life away from the cameras
Frances Tophill is one of Gardeners' World's most popular presenters and has amassed a legion of fans since first appearing on the show back in 2016.
But when she's not busy sharing her best gardening tips with viewers of the show, what does she get up to away from the cameras? Here's all we know about the star's home life…
Biography
Frances Tophill is a horticulturist, author and presenter from Kent. The gardener found her passion for gardening at the tender age of seven after designing a terraced landscape in a planter, which was given to her by her mum.
The 35-year-old took her first gardening job at the Salutation Gardens in Kent, which was run by Gogglebox stars Steph and Dom Parker at the time. Chatting about working for the couple, she told The Sunday Post: "They lived in the house and we gardeners kept to ourselves. The apprentice – my job – did the clearing of the drains, the turning of the compost and made the tea in the mornings for the head gardener."
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It was there that she started her career in gardening by completing an NVQ and apprenticeship, which was quickly followed by a degree in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
As well as Gardeners' World, Frances frequently fronts ITV's Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh. She began her presenting career at the age of 23 when she was still studying for her degree at Edinburgh Botanics.
Home
Frances Tophill lives in Dartmoor, Devon. Speaking about her home in an interview with The Sunday Post in March, she said: "It's my first home. It's very small but I love it. I haven't got all my books and my piano there yet. I'm still in the process of moving in."
She later told Gardens Illustrated: "My garden is smaller than average (9m x 10m) with morning sun and really nice soil that’s very silty, on limestone, so it’s not acidic. It gets a lot of rain as I’m on the south edge of Dartmoor, but it drains quite quickly."
Life away from cameras
Frances has a day job away from her TV career and works five days a week as the Head Gardener at The Sharpham Trust.
Speaking about juggling her job with filming for Gardeners' World, the presenter said: "I have always struggled with just being a TV presenter. I don't feel it's authentic and I don't get to do the thing I love which is working outside and being with people on my own terms without there being a camera in my face.
"I am always keen to make sure I am working for real as well. I have to book holidays when I want to go away for filming. But Gardeners' World has been very accommodating."
Frances is passionate about conservation and sustainability and has spent time native tree planting for the Conifer Conservation Project in Edinburgh, as well as for Moor Trees in Devon.
She is Patron of Thanet Urban Forest and works with the RHS on the Campaign for School Gardening.
The TV star is also a published author, having released several books, including her 2020 release, Rewild Your Garden: Create a Haven for Birds, Bees and Butterflies, as well as, The Modern Gardener: A Practical Guide to Gardening Creatively, Productively and Sustainably, which hit the shelves in 2022. In 2023, Frances released her latest book, A Year in A Small Garden.
According to the Gardeners' World live website, Frances is also a budding crafter and enrolled in a pottery course.
Love life
Frances tends to keep her romantic life out of the spotlight, so very little is known about her relationship status.
