Hip hop superstar LL Cool J is a huge fan of Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don - and asked him for a selfie when the pair met behind the scenes at BBC Breakfast.
The Paradise rapper and his team stopped Monty following their appearance on the show, as the famed horticulturist is a big name in the US since his American Gardens programmes in 2020.
LL Cool J has returned to music after an 11 year hiatus, and appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about his new album, The Forge.
Afterwards, BBC presenter Nina Warhurst revealed the unlikely pair had met and been chatting in the offices in Salford.
Nina revealed that she had “overheard in the office corridor... LL Cool J & entourage telling Monty Don they are massive fans and asking for a selfie”.
She added: “This is why the @BBCBreakfast office is the best office.”
LL’s makeup artist Laci Simon later revealed her joy at the meeting - and thanked the rapper for “making it happen”.
She called Monty “Britain’s favourite gardener” and said he was “someone I never thought I’d meet”, who had made a “major impact” on her life.
Delightedly, she added: “Thank you LL Cool J for making this happen.”
The hip hop star’s appearance on the show went down well with viewers, who praised his positivity as he told hosts Sally Nugent and Ben Thompson what The Force meant to him.
He described it as: “That thing inside of you. It’s that whisper that says go get it. It’s that frequency of real creative energy.”
He jokingly put his feet up on the coffee table, as the presenters said he was welcome to stay for his optimistic attitude, and made them laugh with a Star Wars reference.
He also credited the “smart” listeners, and said: “I create something saying: ‘This is what I like, and I think you might like it too.’”
One viewer wrote: “LL Cool J with his feet up on the table on @BBCBreakfast is the best start to a Monday.”
LL Cool J appeared at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Manchester the night before.
Meanwhile, Monty will be reating a dog-friendly garden as his debut show garden for next year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show next year.
“This is something that I have no intention of repeating, it’s a one-off and we hope and believe that it will be truly spectacular,” says the BBC Gardeners’ World presenter of the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden.
“It’s not cluttered with messages, symbolisms or metaphors,” Don explains. “There will be doggy chairs, a lawn, a screen and maybe a path, long grass, plenty of shade, good trees and dog-associated plants.”
He is expecting to include his golden retriever Ned, a regular on Gardeners’ World, when he launches the garden.
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English (US) ·