Tommy Walsh, star of Ground Force and Homes Under the Hammer, revealed earlier this year that his cancer had returned.
The star – on Homes Under the Hammer this weekend (November 17) – told how he had been undergoing tests after doctors believed they found a tumour on his lung.
He said during a cancer charity conference last year: “I had a chest infection and had to go to the doctor. They sent me up to hospital for a CT scan. They think there’s a 3cm tumour in the lung.”
The DIY telly personality added at the time: “If you wouldn’t mind, keep your fingers crossed for me.”
Sadly for Tommy, he has faced other health challenges over the years, too.
Tommy Walsh health history
The married dad-of-three, 67, has previously opened up about other experiences with cancer.
In 2002 Tommy underwent surgery to have two benign lumps on his chest removed. It is believed family members have also suffered from the condition, with Tommy’s sister reportedly having a lumpectomy to remove cancerous breast tissue when she was 31.
Tommy reflected to the Mirror in 2013: “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.”
He also said about the scare: “I’ve been in pretty good health all my life. But after my sister’s and aunt’s problems I thought I would mention it in a visit to my GP.
“I remember taking a while to get an appointment. And when I did go it was more of an afterthought that I’d mention it. However given the history of breast cancer in my family I was sent to the same consultant my sister had gone to.”
Tommy Walsh throat cancer diagnosis
Two decades later, Tommy was informed his doctor had found a potential issue with his throat.
Tommy explained in June 2023: “I went to my GP about an unrelated issue. 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!”
Cancer returns
Earlier this year, in June, Tommy revealed that his cancer had returned.
He told The Mirror: “My cancer came back earlier this year. They found it again under the lung. So I had to have this new treatment called SABR. What it is is radiotherapy which targets it to an exact spot without damaging the organs around it. So they used that and it shrunk.”
Tomm added: “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.”
Tommy also stated that he felt “lucky” that the tumour wasn’t found inside his lung.
He said: “They thought it was in the lung and then I would have been in trouble. Surgery would have been serious where they cut you open and take a big lump of bone out of the rib and then they would have to put a piece of metal mesh in to stop the lung falling out of the hole. So I did not want that but we had that as a back-up. The SABR treatment has worked and I am healthy so I have not been in any pain.”
Read more: Tommy Walsh in fresh cancer scare as doctors find 3cm tumour in his lung
Homes Under The Hammer is on BBC One at 11.30am on Sunday (November 17).
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