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TV personality Charlie Dimmock first appeared on our screens as part of the BBC's Garden Rescue team in 2016, but she's been a household name since 1997. The 59 year old made her memorable debut over two decades ago as a gardening expert on the BBC's outdoor makeover show, Ground Force, where she remained until its final episode in 2005. Charlie then took charge of The Joy of Gardening before presenting her own series, Charlie's Garden Army, which only ran for one season. Then, in 2013, she joined some of Britain's most respected gardeners on BBC Two's Great British Garden Revival until 2015. Read more Gogglebox star Georgia Bell's heartbreak just hours after announcing engagement Charlie can now be regularly seen presenting Garden Rescue, where she and a team of top designers travel the country and compete to create dream gardens across the UK, reports the Mirror . The gardening expert and television presenter burst onto our screens on Ground Force, alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh which ran between 1997 and 2005. At the height of its popularity it drew in 12 million viewers, but the show was hit with a shocking scandal when Charlie split from her long-term partner, John Mushet, in 2001 after having an affair with microphone operator, Andy Simmons. Just last year, Charlie revealed she harboured "no regrets" regarding her surprising fling with a colleague during her stint on Ground Force, whilst also sharing details about a devastating family loss that left her reeling. Charlie had previously discussed the affair back in 2002, confessing she "doesn't see Andy anymore". "But I don't regret what happened," she said. "You wouldn't do anything if you kept worrying about what might go wrong," she said. "John and I had been together for a long time so when we split up, I relied heavily on family and close friends. I've discovered that the most difficult after-effect of the break-up is getting into another relationship." Charlie subsequently began dating another member of the show's production team, sound engineer Barry Smith. Several years following their separation, Charlie endured devastating heartbreak when her mother and stepfather perished in the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. The pair were holidaying in Phuket, Thailand, when the tsunami struck. Charlie remained silent about the catastrophe initially, though her representative issued a statement saying: "It is very upsetting for her. It has been too soon for her to come to terms with it. She is coping day by day at the moment. We have promised her that we will protect her." Reports from The Daily Mail suggest Charlie declined all professional commitments for two years following the disaster. Charlie's professional path has since expanded beyond horticulture, encompassing acting when she accepted a brief part in the 2010 touring version of Calendar Girls. She has since made a comeback on our screens on the BBC renovation programme Garden Rescue, where she competes with garden designers The Rich Brothers to create breathtaking outdoor spaces for homeowners across the country.
