BBC Garden Rescue’s Lee Burkhill’s life off-screen from husband to transgender comments

Lee Burkhill has been the face of the BBC show Garden Rescue since 2020, but before he became a gardening expert, he was working in IT and was encouraged to make the switch by his husband

Lee Burkhill joined the BBC show’s line-up of gardening experts in 2020, but what is his life like away from the screens?

The presenter is currently gracing our screens in the latest series of Garden Rescue. This was following the exit of presenters Arit Anderson and David and Harry Rich. From series seven onwards, he has been appearing alongside Flo Headlam, Chris Hull and, of course, the veteran presenter Charlie Dimmock. However, horticulture wasn’t always his career path.

Prior to making a name for himself in the gardening world, he spent over a decade working in IT. Over the years, he has bagged numerous prestigious awards, including the Chelsea Flower Show Director Generals Trade Standard Award in 2018. He also launched his own blog and YouTube channel under the moniker ‘The Garden Ninja’, quickly gaining thousands of followers as he shared handy tips, tricks, and tutorials for aspiring gardeners.

Despite keeping his life away from the TV screen fairly private, Lee has previously opened up about his husband and has been an outspoken supporter of the transgender community. Here’s what we know about the green-thumbed presenter…

Who is Lee Burkhill’s husband?

While Lee tends to keep his personal life off Instagram and hasn’t disclosed his husband’s name, he has spoken in the past about how supportive his partner is. In a 2022 chat with the online retailer and website Sitting Spirtually, he revealed that it was his husband who encouraged him to leave IT and pursue his dream job.

Lee candidly shared how a tough period at work led to a significant career shift, inspired by his husband. “My husband sowed the seed about making a career change in garden design after a particularly difficult time at work,” Lee said. He further explained: “He was the spark that pushed me to take the leap and pursue my true passion.”

LGBTQ+ support

Addressing past experiences of bullying for being gay, Lee expressed his support for the transgender community in November 2019. On Twitter, he reached out to his followers, saying: “Starting to appreciate a microdose of what trans people must endure from some erroneous yet vicious online #trolls.”

He continued: “Reminds me of being bullied as a teen for being gay. So today I want to raise a golden trowel to all #LGBTQoftwitter to all stand strong! #TransIsBeautiful”. On social media, Lee is quite active, often sharing his gardening expertise and adventures as well as posting regular updates. Additionally, Lee runs a YouTube channel named Garden Ninja: Lee Burkhill, which boasts over fifty thousand subscribers.