Tommy Walsh, the builder and presenter, has been a familiar face on our television screens for decades, ever since his debut on Ground Force. Alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock, viewers were amazed by the transformations of gardens across the nation on the series.
His television portfolio also includes home and garden makeovers in Clean It, Fix It, presenting auction homes on Homes Under the Hammer, and Flip That House with Tommy Walsh.
Now at 67 years old, the TV star looks entirely different more than 25 years after the start of his television career due to a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. However, the TV star continues to grace our screens with a broad smile and a readiness to engage in banter with his guests.
This is a glimpse into the life of TV star Tommy Walsh, his breakthrough in television, health scares, and family time.
Early career and TV breakthrough
Builder Tommy Walsh hard at work on Ground Force back in 2004 (Image: BBC)
Born and bred in South Hackney, the builder was educated at Parmiter’s School before entering the building trade.
However, it was his work as a builder at an executive producer’s house that led to Tommy Walsh landing a role in Ground Force on the .
The builder was responsible for the hard landscaping of various gardening projects, but it was Tommy’s larger-than-life personality and down-to-earth humour that made him a hit with audiences.
He remained with the show for its entire run, from 1997 to 2005. The series was a massive success for the , attracting a peak audience of 12 million viewers.
Tommy Walsh, renowned for his expertise in hard landscaping and building, has been a familiar face on television, hosting shows like Challenge Tommy Walsh and Fix It Yourself for Discovery Real Time in 2010 and Your House for Free?
In 2021, Tommy joined the team of Homes Under The Hammer, showcasing auction properties in need of renovation and some tender loving care.
On-screen argument with Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh with Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh in Ground Force (Image: BBC)
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
TV host Tommy Walsh has told how his cancer came back, but new treatment has ‘worked really well’ (Image: BANG Showbiz.)
TV legend Tommy Walsh has bravely opened up about his throat cancer diagnosis in 2022 and the critical surgery that followed. In an awareness campaign for NHS England, he recalled: “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 urged: “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?
Builder and TV host Tommy Walsh and his wife Marie Walsh (Image: Getty)
Tommy Walsh is happily married to Marie Walsh, and together they have three beautiful children. The Walsh family resides 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 , 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.”
Despite shying away from the spotlight, Marie occasionally joins her husband at public events. Their daughter Natalie Walsh was the victim of an attack after Leanne Bloomfield used to shard of glass to slash her upwards from her neck to her chin at Cafe De Paris near Leicester Square in central London in 2013.
A jury found her guilty of wounding with intent following a four-day trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2014. The ordeal saw Natalie undergo plastic surgery and therapy following the attack and her parents attended the court hearing.
Tommy also has his own independent building business.