The new breed of celebrity authors ... Miranda and Monty Don’s dogs!
THERE’S something un- usual about the latest celebrities hoping to top the bestseller charts: They’ve got four legs and wet noses.
Nigel the golden retriever and Peggy, a shih-tzu/bichon frise cross, are going paw-topaw in the battle for readers – with a little help from their owners Monty Don and Miranda Hart.
Nigel has become a scene stealer on BBC2’s Gardeners’ World, presented by Daily Mail gardener Mr Don, while comedian and actress Miss Hart describes Peggy as her ‘best friend, ridiculous though that might seem’.
Both will publish books about their pets and the effect they have had on their lives this autumn.
Call The Midwife star Miss Hart, 43, said she fell in ‘love at first sight’ with Peggy nine years ago. The dog has her own Twitter account with almost 6,000 followers – where she boasts of being ‘the best dog in the world’ – and is soon to have her own YouTube channel.
The 55-page book, Peggy And Me, reveals that she sleeps on a blanket at the bottom of her owner’s bed, loves frankfurters, and wants to star in her own reality TV show.
It also includes stories written by members of the public after Miss Hart asked fans to tell her about their own dogs.
In the blurb Miss Hart – who says Peggy barked the introduction of the book for her to type up – writes: ‘Peggy has taught me a huge amount – not how to get an old pie packet out of a bin and lick it (I could already do that), but real lessons about life and love and trust and friendship.’
Like Peggy, Nigel has his own Twitter profile, with 18,000 followers. He is said to get ‘more mail and Christmas cards than the rest of the Don family put together’.
Nigel was gravely injured in 2012 when a disc in his back exploded as he leapt to catch a ball, partially severing his spinal cord. Since then, Mr Don has been working on the book about the bond between an owner and his pet.
Mr Don, 61, said: ‘I explore why we love dogs and what they mean to us emotionally and domestically. This is the book of Nigel – but also the book of all our dogs in every British family and a celebration of the deep love we feel for them.’
Nigel: My Family And Other Dogs goes on sale next month.