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Charlie Dimmock reveals truth about friendships with former Ground Force co-stars

The horticulturist is a presenter on BBC's Garden Rescue

charlie ground force
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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Charlie Dimmock is best known for being one third of presenting team on BBC's Garden Rescue alongside the Rich brothers, but garden TV fanatics will know that prior to joining the show, Charlie found fame on Ground Force.

MORE: Take a look back at Garden Rescue star Charlie Dimmock's early career

The show, which was presented by Charlie, Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh, was hugely popular in its heyday between 1997 and 2005. The programme saw the team transform the gardens of ordinary people into outdoor havens and saw the trio form a close friendship over the years.

WATCH: Charlie Dimmock goes head to head with Rich Brothers

Some reports at the time hinted at disagreements between the presenters, but in recent years Charlie has set the record straight. Speaking to Warrington Guardian back in 2016, the presenter admitted it took a while for the close bonds to form, but it wasn't long before they became firm friends.

"When we first started filming we were polite to each other for the first two series but by the third series we were like family." She continued: "My main memory of Ground Force was laughing lots. It was the same team week in, week out, as well as the same production and crew. You know what it's like when you work with a team of people and you get on."

MORE: Garden Rescue's Charlie Dimmock sets record straight on career break

MORE: Why the Rich Brothers and Arit Anderson left Garden Rescue

ground force team© Photo: Getty Images

Charlie with her former Ground Force co-stars

In a previous interview in 2021 Charlie opened up about whether the team still have contact today. She told World of Cruising: "I haven't seen them recently, but we're still in contact. Occasionally we chat or bump into each other. Tommy teases me that we're getting old now, which is true, but we have loads of happy memories of filming – lots and lots of laughter."

MORE: Meet the new experts on Garden Rescue

garden rescue© Photo: BBC

Charlie is a presenter on Garden Rescue

After Ground Force came to an end, the star enjoyed somewhat of a hiatus from TV but despite not being on TV, she was no less busy. "People think that if you're suddenly not on telly, you've stopped working," she told Radio Times. "That doesn't happen, because we all have mortgages to pay. I had been on TV a very long time, but I had always been doing other things."

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