Ground Force star Tommy Walsh has died aged 69 after a long illness, his agent has confirmed.
The Hackney-born builder died peacefully, surrounded by his family. His agent, Debbie Schiesser, said: “Tommy died peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family.”
She added: “As this has only just happened, we would ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy.”
Walsh was best known for co-hosting the BBC garden makeover show Ground Force from 1997 to 2005, alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock. At its peak, the show attracted an audience of 12 million viewers, making its team household names.
A builder by trade, he went on to appear on other home improvement programmes, including Homes Under The Hammer and Clean It, Fix It. He also took part in Celebrity Fit Club and made guest appearances on shows including Blankety Blank and Pointless.
In early 2024, Walsh revealed during a talk for The Swallows Head & Neck Cancer charity that doctors had found a “three-centimetre tumour in the lung”. He had previously been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2022 but made a full recovery.
He was married to his wife Marie and was father to three children: Charlotte, Natalie, and Jonjo.
Tributes are expected to follow from across television and the building trade, where Walsh was known as much for his warmth and humour on screen as for his craft. His family has asked for privacy while they come to terms with his death.
