BBC Garden Rescue host Charlie Dimmock doesn't regret affair with co-star

Charlie Dimmock, the host of BBC's Garden Rescue, has expressed 'no regrets' over her affair with a co-star that led to her split from long-term partner John Mushet.

Dimmock rose to fame as a presenter on Ground Force between 1997 and 2005 alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh, and saw the show peak at 12 million viewers.

In 2001, during her tenure on the show, it was revealed that she had been involved in an affair with microphone operator Andy Simmons, leading to her split from Mushet.

The now 57-year-old admitted a year later that she no longer sees Simmons but expressed no regret over the affair, stating in 2002: "But I don't regret what happened. You wouldn't do anything if you kept worrying about what might go wrong."

Following her split from Mushet, Dimmock leaned on family and close friends, finding the most challenging aspect of the break up was entering another relationship, reports the Mirror.

She later dated Barry Smith, a sound technician from the Ground Force team. However, tragedy struck in 2004 while filming the final year of the BBC show when her mother and stepfather were killed in Thailand's Boxing Day Tsunami.

At the time, Charlie's agent released 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."

After stepping back from television for two years, the presenter ventured into acting with a role in the 2010 touring production of 'Calendar Girls'. She has since made a comeback on BBC with 'Garden Rescue', where she joins forces with Flo Headlam, Chris Hull, and Lee Burkhill to craft the ideal gardens for homeowners around Britain.

In 2019, Charlie opened up about why she doesn't flaunt her own garden despite her long career in transforming others' green spaces. Speaking to the Express, she said: "Firstly I have to say my garden isn't always in tip-top condition."

She explained the challenges of maintaining her garden due to her busy schedule: "Unfortunately I tend to be away working at the more critical busy times (spring and summer) so I often get behind. With all gardens, it's best to do maintenance frequently and regularly that way you actually make the maintenance easier."

Charlie also humorously remarked: "I'm going to try and make my garden look good because I've been doing this so long, it looks like a disaster area!".

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