Daisy Payne began with a love for gardening and has made a career out of it, often appearing on This Morning to give her top tips and tricks to viewers at home.
Talking exclusively with OK!, the 26-year-old has revealed that she was never expecting to take her hobby into a career, but shared how 'lovely' her fellow presenters are on set, describing the show as 'welcoming' and says she gets along great with her co-stars.
She tells us: "I was so nervous on my first day at This Morning but the team were amazing and are all so nice.," admits Daisy. "The show is a great set, I go in and just think it’s so cool. All the team are incredibly welcoming and I just feel so at home there. I never saw myself being on TV, it’s been such a whirlwind."
This Morning has previously been criticised for its on-set culture, with many ex-presenters such as Dr. Ranj Singh, slamming the show for it's 'toxic culture' following Philip Schofield's step down earlier this year.
But Daisy has been having a great time since joining the cast, detailing her surprise at "getting the gig."
Being offered the job was just crazy, I literally just got a message from one of the producers on the team one day. I thought it was a prank to be honest, I thought ‘They want me? That can’t be right’ but it was. I think I was watching Netflix in my pyjamas at the time, so it was a shocking DM to get but also epic," continued Daisy.
And the job is not only enjoyable, but has had a positive impact on her mental health too. She explains: "Gardening absolutely has a positive impact on my mental health. During COVID, I’m genuinely not sure how I would’ve managed things without my garden and allotment. It’s a place where I leave my phone in the house, switch off and connect to nature," explains Daisy.
Continuing, "It’s a good time for me to be mindful, I just clear my mind and focus on one thing or one section of the garden. There is that physical and mental element to it which is really beneficial for me. I always say that if you’re feeling a bit stressed, spend ten minutes in your garden and I’m pretty sure you’ll feel a bit better and unwound."
Daisy was struck by tragedy at the beginning of the pandemic, losing her grandfather. But gardening, which has transitioned from a hobby into a career, helped her to get through the time.
"Gardening was a real solace, a way of coping and processing. It really helped get me through that time, especially because I couldn’t see family or anything so it was really vital for me, it got me through. In the garden, you’re always thinking ahead and thinking about the next season, there is always new life coming through which is particularly powerful if you’re struggling to look to the future.
"I’ve struggled before when I’ve been coping with a lot and feeling unproductive, which can prevent you from wanting to do very much. But by gardening, you can make a difference to something in five minutes and you notice it. It’s really healing and I encourage everyone to try it."
Joining This Morning in 2021, Daisy often appears on This Morning for bright outdoor segments – while she has also built up 22.6k followers on Instagram.
Aside from working on TV, Daisy has also been busy this summer working on Belvoir Farms to galvanise the community to pick the elderflower harvest.
As we ponder how it's been, she shares: "It’s been amazing fun, to see all of Belvoir’s elderflower plants, how they grow and how they do things. Seeing the elderflower go from bush to bottle has been incredible, especially given the strange weather we have had this year.
"Getting everything in such a tight timescale was needed to match the weather and so the flowers didn’t go brown. I mucked in and had great fun, it was amazing to see all the care and effort going into it."
Daisy supports Belvoir Farm’s welcome to our Wild campaign ,to enjoy the wonders of the Vale of Belvoir and how nature really crafts their drinks www.belvoir farm.co.uk
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