Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (2024)

Builder and presenter Tommy Walsh has been on our TV screens for decades ever since he first appeared on Ground Force. Alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock, viewers were stunned at how gardens across the country were transformed on the BBC series.

His TV work also included transforming homes and gardens in Clean It, Fix It, presenting auction homes on Homes Under the Hammer, and Flip That House with Tommy Walsh.

Now aged 67, the TV star looks completely different more than 25 years on from the start of his TV career following a cancer diagnosis and further cancer treatment. But the TV star remains on our screens with a huge smile and keen to have some banter with his guests.

This is inside the life of TV star Tommy Walsh, his TV breakthrough, health scares and time with family.

Early career and TV breakthrough

Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (1)

Born and raised in South Hackney, the builder was educated at Parmiter's School and entered the building trade.

But it was working as a builder at an executive producer's house saw Tommy Walsh land a role in Ground Force on the BBC.

The builder was responsible for the hard landscaping for various gardening projects, but it was Tommy’s big personality and down-to-earth humour made him a huge success with audiences.

He stayed with the show for the rest of its run, from 1997 to 2005. The series was a huge hit for the BBC, with a peak audience of 12 million viewers.

His hard landscaping and building knowledge and skills led him to go on to host Challenge Tommy Walsh, Fix It Yourself for Discovery Real Time in 2010 and his series, Fix Your House for Free? was another successful series.

Tommy Walsh joined Homes Under The Hammer in 2021 and helped show off auction properties that need refurbishing and some TLC.

Feud with Alan Titchmarsh

Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (2)

Tommy Walsh formed a key trio on Ground Force with Charlie Dimmick and host Alan Titchmarsh.

Dedicated fans will remember a particularly heated exchange between mild-mannered Alan and Tommy during an episode filmed in Essex in 2000. Builder Tommy accidentally covered a set of flower beds in sawdust leaving Alan fuming.

"Call me picky if you like but I like my Ground Force gardens to be pristine when we finish them," Alan said at the time, "I do not get a thrill from seeing them covered in dandruff." While the pair did manage to put the incident to one side, it did get a bit tense for a bit as they were both left reeling, while Charlie turned a blind eye and concentrated on a water feature.

"For a while, it did get a bit hairy," said Tommy. "But when we'd both calmed down we actually kissed (yes) and made up. What made me cross was that I was working flat out to get everything ready and here was Alan moaning about a bit of stray sawdust."

But they quickly put the incident to one side and remain friends to this day despite going off in their own separate directions.

Alan has since gone on to star on a long list of other TV shows including Britain's Best Back Gardens, Secrets of the National Trust, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, and Gardeners' World.

Tommy Walsh's battle with cancer

Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (3)

Tommy Walsh was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2022 and underwent surgery to remove the tumour. Speaking to NHS England in March 2022 during a cancer awareness campaign, he said: "I went to my GP about an unrelated issue and while I was there, he discovered this lump in my throat that he was a bit concerned about.

"He said it may be nothing but that he would rather I went and got it checked and, unfortunately, it turned out to be cancerous. I had to go in straight away and have surgery to remove it. I am now fully recovered and even back playing football!"

Tommy added: "If something in your body doesn’t feel right contact your GP practice and book an appointment. Whatever the result, the NHS is here to help."

Two years later, Tommy announced in early 2024 that he was receiving advanced NHS treatment after specialists found cancer under his lung.

Assuring his fans, he said: “My cancer came back earlier this year….they found it again under the lung.

“So I had to have this new treatment called SABR and what it is, is radiotherapy, which targets it to an exact spot without damaging the organs around it. So they used that and it shrunk.”

He added: “It is now not anywhere else. It is going away. Because it is shrinking, it will shrink down to nothing and disappear.

“I will then just have to have annual checks. It has worked for me really well.”

The cancer treatment and various lifestyle changes saw Tommy lose weight and look much different from his time on Ground Force.

Tommy previously had a breast cancer scare in 2002 after finding two lumps in his chest. Due to his sister and auntie both having breast cancer in the past, Tommy decided to get the lumps checked.

The lumps were removed under general anaesthetic to the relief of Tommy, who was scared about the surgery and possibility of having breast cancer.

Thankfully, the lumps were benign (non-cancerous) and Tommy is now passionate about raising awareness of breast cancer in men.

Is Tommy Walsh married and does he have kids?

Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (4)

Tommy Walsh is currently married to Marie Walsh and they have three children together. The family currently live in South Hackney.

The pair first met in their 20s and have stayed an extremely long and stable relationship. He previously told the Express: "Before my big TV break when I was 40, I led a very normal life.

"After I left school, I worked for my dad for a couple of years, before starting off on my own. I met my wife-to-be, Marie, when I was 20 and fell in love. By the time I was in my thirties, I was in great demand as a builder."

Marie mostly stays out of the limelight but has made a few appearances with him at events.

In addition to his television work, runs his own building business.

Tommy Walsh's life off-screen from weight loss to feud with Alan Titchmarsh (2024)
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