Alan Titchmarsh pays tribute to "dear friend" Tommy Walsh following his death

Alan Titchmarsh has shared a touching tribute to his "dear friend" Tommy Walsh following his death. Walsh passed away "peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family", according to a statement released yesterday.

Walsh found fame on BBC show Ground Force alongside Charlie Dimmock and Titchmarsh, with Titchmarsh paying tribute to him during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

"He had a great ability to be himself. He never put on airs and braces. He was just naturally telegenic," he said.

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"I shall remember him forever, fondly and lovingly. He was a dear friend. We had five years working together on Ground Force. Audiences of 12 million, which was astonishing."

He continued: "I still get swamped today, and that's how Charlie and Tommy are, and I shall miss him dreadfully."

Titchmarsh additionally called Walsh "a delight... whether we were arguing over the ratio of plants to decking, battling clouds of sawdust that threatened to engulf my plants or collapsing in fits of giggles thanks to a chance remark".

He continued: "Sometimes we only had to glance at one another to become convulsed with laughter and totally lose the plot.

Titchmarsh said that the time he spent on Ground Force with Dimmock and Walsh were "among the happiest of his life".

"He was a force of nature and I shall miss his company and his merciless teasing of 'Mr T'. He was a complete one-off."

After starring on Ground Force from 1997 to 2005, Walsh appeared on the likes of Clean It, Fix It, Cowboys and Angels, and Homes Under the Hammer.

Walsh was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2022, and though he made a full recovery, doctors confirmed he had lung cancer in 2024.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2024, he said: "My cancer came back earlier this year, they found it again under the lung.

"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."

Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn