Alan Titchmarsh has paid tribute to his "dear friend" Tommy Walsh following the death of the former Ground Force presenter at the age of 69.
It was confirmed on Monday, November 9 that Tommy had died. His agent 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."
Tributes on Good Morning Britain
Following his death, tributes poured in for Tommy, who found fame on BBC's Ground Force alongside Alan and Charlie Dimmock. On Tuesday, November 10, the Good Morning Britain team paid tribute to Tommy on the ITV show, which included clips of Alan talking about him.
Alan said: "He had a great ability to be himself. He never put on airs and braces. He was just naturally telegenic."
He added: "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."
Memories of working together
Alan continued: "I still get swamped today, and that's how Charlie and Tommy are, and I shall miss him dreadfully." In another tribute to his former co-star, Alan told Express.co.uk that working with Tommy "was a delight".
He recalled: "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," he said.
Career after Ground Force
Alan went on to say that the five years he spent working with Tommy and Charlie Dimmock on the 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," Alan added.
After leaving Ground Force, Tommy went on to front several DIY and home-improvement shows, including Challenge Tommy Walsh, Tommy's Ultimate Workshop, Tommy Walsh's DIY Survival, Tommy Walsh's Eco House and Flip That House with Tommy Walsh. He was also part of the presenting team on Homes Under the Hammer and Clean It, Fix It.
Good Morning Britain airs Monday to Friday from 6am on ITV1.
