Pink Hellebores

Over the years I have tried ever so many times to grow Hellebores in my tiny garden, but this is the only one that has 'taken'. It has established itself contentedly in a sunny spot by the back door and seems to thrive on my rather haphazard gardening efforts. Commonly known as 'Christmas Roses' my pink beauties stubbornly ignore our calendar and don't put in an appearance until at least February, sometimes even much later. Then they bloom prolifically, producing veritable armfuls of blossom that lasts for what seems like months, although they do have a drooping tendency which hides much of their beauty.
Last year I discovered that Monty Don's advice was to remove their big shiny green leaves at the end of the season, contrary to what I've been doing for years. So last year at the end of the season, I dutifully I removed the old leaves, but I'm sure this year I haven't had quite as many blooms as usual. Can any blipping gardeners kindly give me the benefit of their advice?