Homes Under The Hammer's Tommy Walsh's cancer horror and Alan Titchmarsh row

03 October 2023 , 09:22

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Homes Under The Hammer's Tommy Walsh's cancer horror and Alan Titchmarsh row

Nowadays, builder Tommy Walsh is busy presenting Homes Under The Hammer, but for many, he'll always be best associated with the iconic garden makeover show that made his name - Ground Force. Alongside fellow presenters Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock, Tommy helped create dream gardens for lucky homeowners nominated by friends and family members.

Although everything seemed very jolly indeed onscreen, there were apparently a few angry words exchanged behind the scenes, with Alan and Tommy once locked in a heated disagreement over a flowerbed mishap. More than 25 years after Ground Force first aired, we take a look back at Tommy's furious row with Alan, as well as his cancer battle.

A flowerbed blunder led to tension between the pair (PA)

Argument over 'dandruff' flowerbed

Back in 2000, the usually polite Alan reportedly raged at Tommy while the team was planting flowerbeds in a garden in Pitsea, Essex, after the DIY expert accidentally covered the soil with sawdust while sawing timber. In an interview with the Radio Times, Tommy revealed: "Call me picky if you like but I like my Ground Force gardens to be pristine when we finish them. I do not get a thrill from seeing them covered in dandruff."

Although the two men did manage to put the incident aside, Tommy admits it did create some tension. Recalling the aftermath of their fight, Tommy continued: "For a while, it did get a bit hairy. 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."

Recalling Charlie's reaction to the incident, Alan added: "She just kept her head down and fiddled with her water feature."

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Charlie reportedly 'just kept her head down' (Alamy Stock Photo)

Cancer diagnosis

Like many people, Tommy didn't know that men could even get breast cancer until discovering two lumps on his chest back in 2002. Due to a family history of cancer, a doctor directed Tommy - who had initially booked an appointment as an "afterthought" - to a consultant at Whitechapel's Royal London Hospital, where his sister underwent a lumpectomy to remove cancerous and normal breast tissue at the age of 31.

Speaking with the Mirror in 2013, Tommy said: "I just buried myself in my work and then went along for the day surgery where the lumps were removed under a general anaesthetic. It was only then that it sort of hit me that this could actually be serious and I could have breast cancer, like my relatives."

Thankfully, the lumps proved to be benign, but his ordeal proved to be somewhat of a wake-up call for Tommy, and this unfortunately wasn't the last time Tommy would suffer a scare. During an "unrelated" visit to his GP, Tommy discovered that he had a cancerous lump in his throat, opening up about his experiences for a 2022 NHS cancer awareness campaign.

Urging others not to put off seeing their doctor about any concerns, Tommy 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! 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."

Julia Banim