Alit Anderson, presenter of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, has revealed she was subjected to shocking racism ahead of a charity triathlon at Blenheim Palace last month.
The 54-year-old, who presented BBC News at last month’s Chelsea Flower Show and is a regular on BBC One’s Garden Rescue, said she was shocked when a man cyclist shouted abuse at her as she passed by during the show.
She posted a picture on her Instagram account of two friends who had joined her at a fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK, writing to her 30,000 followers: A few hours ago, a man on a motorbike passed by and said, “Get out of here.”
She added: “To say that two women in their 50s and one woman in her 70s were shocked would be an understatement.”
Anderson said her friend, who is of Pakistani descent, “immediately burst into tears” as he recalled similar racism he had experienced.
The famous gardener writes, “And for those few seconds, I was not a daughter, a sister, a friend, a partner, a mother-in-law, a garden designer, a healing therapist or much else. I was nothing, just worthless.”
The TV star said she chose to share the story because “this incident reminded me that while most people are decent, the veil of ‘likes’ and edits is not the real world.”
She appealed to her followers, “Please don’t think of me as a victim. There are others who have experienced worse abuse than me. It’s not just about race, it’s about being ‘different’ from what other people think is right or normal. And you see it everywhere. In my eyes it’s just not right.”
“Luckily, my mother was very accepting of differences and always said that if we were all the same, the world would be a boring place.”
The gardening expert’s followers reacted in shock and sent messages of support.
Fellow TV presenter Nicky Chapman posted, “Congratulations on an incredible achievement and for sharing this too. A reminder we have so much more work to do – tolerance, love, understanding and community. Love you @aritanderson.”
Another added: “I’m speechless. I’m lost for words.”
One person wrote: “The fact that you had to make sense of this and then go to such great lengths to move mountains to make this amazing charity happen is humbling.”
Another commenter added: “What a horrific experience and what a sad man. This kind of language cannot be allowed to go unchecked and become normalised. We should all speak out against this behaviour.”