Ground Force Star Tommy Walsh Dies at 69 After a Long Illness

Tommy Walsh, the builder who became one of the best known faces on British television through the BBC garden makeover show Ground Force, has died at the age of 69. His agent confirmed the news on Monday afternoon. In a statement given to LADbible, his agent said Walsh "died peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family". His loved ones have asked for privacy. The Daily Mirror also reported his death on Monday afternoon, with the headline "Ground Force TV star Tommy Walsh dead at 69 'after long illness'".

Walsh was a working builder from South Hackney in London when television found him. He had been educated at Parmiter's School in Bethnal Green and was working as a builder on the garden of a television executive producer when he was invited to join Ground Force. The show began in 1997, with Alan Titchmarsh leading the team, Charlie Dimmock on the planting, and Walsh responsible for the hard landscaping: the patios, decks, walls and structures that held each surprise garden together. He stayed for the whole run, from 1997 to 2005, and the team became a fixture of British weekend television.

His own show, Challenge Tommy Walsh, ran from 2002 to 2005. Viewers later saw him on Flip That House with Tommy Walsh, Tommy's Ultimate Workshop, The Reclaimers and Clean It, Fix It. In 2021 he joined the presenting team on Homes Under the Hammer, the BBC property show, and stayed until 2024. He also wrote a run of practical books, among them the Ground Force: Garden Handbook with Titchmarsh and Dimmock in 2001, and DIY Survival in 2002.

Old Parmiterians FC, the football club Walsh played for in goal for many years, announced his death on Monday. The club wrote: "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."

Walsh spoke openly about his health for more than two decades, and used his name to push other men to get checked. In 2002 he had a benign tumour removed from his chest. In 2022 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, had surgery, and recovered fully. A later cancer was found under his lung. He had targeted SABR radiotherapy, and in 2024 he said the treatment was working and the tumour was shrinking. BritBrief reported in June 2026 that the tumour had measured 3cm and that Walsh had described himself as fully recovered and back playing football after the treatment.

He was a patron of the Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust. He was married to Marie Walsh and had three children. In 2023, years after Ground Force ended, he was still on BBC screens as a contestant on the quiz show Pointless.