The TV star had previously made a full recovery from throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2022.
Ground Force star Tommy Walsh has died at the age of 69.
The TV star’s death was confirmed by his agent Debbie Schiesser who said: “Tommy died peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family. As this has only just happened, we would ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy.”
The presenter worked alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock on the BBC programme Ground Force which was one of the biggest shows of its time, pulling in 12 million viewers at its peak.
Tommy laster transitioned to other home improvement shows, including Homes Under the Hammer and Flip That House with Tommy Walsh. He most recently appeared on BBC makeover show Clean It, Fix It hosted by Mark Wright, which ended last year.
On X there was a tribute from Old Parmiterians FC, a London football team where he played as a younger man. They said: “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.”
Tommy faced cancer in the years leading up to his death. In 2002, when he discovered two lumps in his chest.
Given that breast cancer ran in his family – both his sister and aunt had fought the illness – Tommy immediately sought medical advice. Thankfully, the lumps proved to be non-cancerous and were successfully removed.
In 2022, Tommy discovered his own cancer diagnosis whilst participating in a cancer awareness initiative. Following a consultation with his GP, doctors found a malignant lump in his throat which was later removed.
He said at the time: “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!”
However, Tommy disclosed in late 2023 that he was facing another health battle – lung cancer.
He broke the news to attendees at a charity event in November, explaining that doctors had found a “three-centimetre tumour in the lung” and that he had an emergency CT scan appointment the next day.
Tommy said: “I have an emergency appointment at 9am tomorrow morning back in London. I had a chest infection, had to go to the doctor, and they sent me up to the hospital for a CT scan, and they think there’s a three-centimetre tumour in the lung.
“I’ve tried to keep cheerful, and you’ve cheered me up today, and thank you for letting me reminisce and talk. I was weighing up whether or not to tell you about this, but I felt it would be unfair if I were to leave this and I didn’t tell you.”
He continued: “That’s why I’m going to have to leave after this talk, and I won’t be able to join you for a few beers tonight. “
In June 2024, Tommy shared some positive news, revealing that the tumour was “shrinking” due to new treatment.
he told the Mirror: “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 shrank.
“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.”
He added: “The SABR treatment has worked, and I am healthy, so I have not been in any pain.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
