Monty Don's family have a "Nigel-shaped hole" in their lives following the death of their golden retriever.
Monty Don
The 64-year-old TV presenter recently revealed via Instagram that his beloved dog passed away, and Monty has now conceded that Nigel had been much more than just a companion to him.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, Monty shared: "I think if you suffer from any kind of mental illness, whether be it depression or anxiety or whatever, having someone to look after, who returns that attention with completely unqualified love, is very powerful, it's powerful medicine.
"There's just the basics - if you have a dog you have to take it for a walk, which means you have to go outside, you have to put your boots on and put a coat on and as anybody listening knows, when you are depressed, you don't do any of that.
"If you get out of bed you just sort of eat badly, you don't do what you're supposed to do, you don't do what you want to do because you don't really want to do anything and so on and so forth, so having a dog that needs food and water and a walk and attention and who just loves you is extraordinary."
Monty - who is best-known for presenting the BBC TV series 'Gardeners' World' - explained that Nigel helped to tie him to "a better reality".
He said: "At the moment there is sort of a simmering level of anxiety and people are being very brave and they're resourceful and extraordinary but at the same time everybody is scared and anxious and pets, and in my case dogs, leaven that, they hold it steady, they tie you to a better reality.
"I think for all of us that happens and I think for millions of people who watch 'Gardeners' World', clearly Nigel was part of that."