Gay Search is a writer and broadcaster who has become one of the country’s best-known gardening presenters. As well as a member of the Gardeners’ World team, she has devised and presented series of her own such as the very successful Front Gardens. Gay has written a number of best-selling gardening books, amongst which is "Geoff Hamilton: A Man and his Garden", and is also gardening editor of Sainsbury’s "The Magazine". She lives in south west London with her husband, two sons,and shares the garden with them, a football goal, and a couple of cats.

Says Gay:

"I was invited to become a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation while I was appearing on tv gardening programmes and some members spotted that I had a goitre - not hard to do since it had become rather large!

I was delighted to accept since I am a great believer in self-help groups - I think they can offer support, information and reassurance in a way that most professionals, however well-meaning, can't do in quite the same way. I certainly found the British Thyroid Foundation invaluable while I was making up my mind about a thyroidectomy. I no longer have my goitre - it was removed along with my thyroid at the end of September 2002 - but I hope the fact that I am now on daily thyroxine means I am still qualified to be a patron !"