He may be the most famous gardener on Irish television, but Diarmuid Gavin has admitted that there was one personal trait that he struggled with until late into his forties.
Featuring on the Brendan O’ Connor show on RTÉ Radio at the weekend, Diarmuid Gavin spoke about his childhood, the tragic death of his brother, Connor and moving back to Ireland from the UK.
However, it was his struggle with social anxiety, which followed him into his adulthood, that would often stop him in his tracks.
Diarmuid Gavin Pic: Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland
When asked about his childhood, the gardener did not hesitate to say how he kept to himself.
‘The education system did not suit me. I was creative, I was a loner, I was a dreamer, I hated every day (of school) for all those years. I was painfully shy, and that lasted well into my 40s.’
Unsure of why he was like this, he remembers how ‘I don’t know what was fueling it. I know it was very painful when I was in my teens, and I wanted to be part of a gang, meet people, and have a girlfriend, anything like that. I would go to parties and leave immediatley if anyone looked at me.’
Diarmuid Gavin Pic: Supplied
For the Dublin man, though who is married to Justine Keane, he said that fame helped him fight this.
‘Going on to do what I did and becoming known had a big effect in helping me because after a few years it was my role to settle people, so you learn ways of coping and skills with it, and now I don’t care, but it holds people back.’
In his forties, the gardener remembers how his social anxiety got the better of him on a work trip to South Korea. When the project was finished, the crew returned to London ahead of schedule.
‘After they left, I wouldn’t leave the hotel. I wouldn’t order room service in case I had to open the door to anybody.’
Diarmuid Gavin Pic: Cathal Burke / VIPIRELAND.COM
Despite these personal issues, the star wasn’t going to let this hold him back, and to this day, Diarmuid Gavin continues to bloom!
