Tommy Walsh obit

Ground Force star Tommy Walsh dies aged 69 ‘after a long illness’

 He was not on the list.

TV icon Tommy Walsh, best known for BBC series Ground Force, has died aged 69 after a ‘long illness’.

His representative told Metro: ‘He died peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family.’

She also asked for people to respect his family’s privacy.

Walsh was well known for his DIY shows, becoming a household name, working with the likes of Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock.

Along with Ground Force, which pulled in millions of viewers at its peak, he was known for Challenge Tommy Walsh, Homes Under the Hammer and Flip That House.

His football club Old Parmiterians FC paid tribute on X, saying he would be ‘sorely missed’.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tommy Walsh. A Parmiters boy he played for the club for many years in goal but made a great career as a TV personality in shows such as Ground Force. He will be sorely missed. RIP Tommy pic.twitter.com/EJww71LyPu

— Old Parmiterians FC (@oldparmsfc)

November 9, 2026

‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tommy Walsh,’ they wrote.

‘A Parmiters boy he played for the club for many years in goal but made a great career as a TV personality in shows such as Ground Force. He will be sorely missed. RIP Tommy.’

In 2002, Walsh faced a cancer scare after discovering two lumps on his chest, having had a family history of breast cancer.

Those turned out to be benign, but in 2022 he was diagnosed with a cancerous lump in his throat.

He underwent surgery and was expected to make a full recovery, but two years later, he was diagnosed with a lung tumour after a CT scan.

Walsh first started hosting the BBC garden makeover show Ground Force in 1997, which he continued fronting for eight years until 2005.

At the height of its popularity, the series amassed 12 million viewers.

He also appeared on TV shows including Homes Under The Hammer and Clean It, Fix It. His final TV appearance in the former aired days before his death.

Tributes poured in for Walsh following the news of his death, with X user thebowlerhatman writing: ‘Very very sad news. Tommy Walsh was such a lovely man. He knew so much & was great at passing on very helpful tips about DIY.

‘Always had a smile on his face. He will be greatly missed. RIP Sir. Thank you for the magic.’

‘I met this lovely man on a cruise ship and sat at the bar having a few drinks with him. Lovely guy who was happy to have a photo taken for my mum too.’

Titchmarsh paid heartfelt tribute, sharing: ‘Working with Tommy Walsh on Ground Force was 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. Sometimes we only had to glance at one another to become convulsed with laughter and totally lose the plot.

‘The five years I worked with Tommy and Charlie on that literally ground-breaking programme were among the happiest of my 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.’

Walsh was married to his wife Marie and was a father to three children: Charlotte, Natalie and Jonjo.