Childhood & Early Life
Charlie Dimmock was born Charlotte Elouise Dimmock on August 10, 1966, in Southampton, Hampshire, England, to Terry Dimmock and Sue Kennedy. She was raised in New Forest where she spent her time helping her grandfather in her family vegetable garden.
She went to ‘Wellow Primary School’ before attending ‘The Mountbatten School’ in Romsey, Hampshire. Though she initially wanted to specialize in forensic science, Dimmock went to a horticultural college from where she graduated.
After graduating from college, she started working at ‘Romsey Garden Centre.’ During the early-1990s, Dimmock traveled extensively before returning to Romsey. She then returned to work at ‘Romsey Garden Centre’ where she met television producer John Thornicroft who was looking for water plants. In 1997, Thornicroft gave her an opportunity to appear in the garden makeover series ‘Ground Force.’
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Career
Dimmock started working alongside Tommy Walsh and Alan Titchmarsh on the show and quickly became a household name across England. The success of ‘Ground Force’ led to a series of spin-offs including a calendar and a book. She then went on to appear in many TV series, such as ‘Night Fever’ and ‘Clarkson.’
In 1999, she was seen in a couple of television series, namely ‘The Frank Skinner Show’ and ‘Charlie's Garden Army.’ In the same year, she was also seen in a TV movie titled ‘When Changing Rooms Met Ground Force.’ In 2000, she made a guest appearance in the popular reality television series ‘Masterchef.’
From 2000 to 2011, she appeared in four episodes of TV series documentary ‘Chelsea Flower Show.’ Meanwhile, she continued appearing in several television shows, such as ‘Charlie's Wildlife Gardens,’ ‘Comic Relief: Naked Red Nose Ground Force in Practice,’ and ‘The Kumars at No. 42.’
In 2001, she started presenting her television show ‘Charlie's Gardening Neighbours.’ In the same year, she also appeared in a TV movie documentary titled ‘Cheer for Charlie.’ In 2002, she was seen in a TV movie titled ‘The Joy of Gardening.’ She then went on to appear in TV series and documentaries, such as ‘The Big Breakfast,’ ‘Blankety Blank,’ ‘Hollyoaks,’ ‘Cheer for Charlie: Charlie Goes Latin,’ and ‘50 Places to See Before You Die.’
From 2003 to 2004, she served as the president of the ‘Television and Radio Industries Club’ (TRIC). In 2004, she appeared in four television series, namely ‘The Games,’ ‘Hell's Kitchen,’ ‘Saturday Brunch,’ and ‘The Late Late Show.’ In the same year, she appeared on ‘CBS’ network’s ‘The Early Show’ where she presented a slot pertaining to gardening.
In 2005, she was seen in a TV special titled ‘Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.’ From 2006 to 2008, Dimmock was seen in many TV series and TV movie documentaries, such as ‘TV's 50 Greatest Stars,’ ‘Celebrity Masterchef,’ ‘Hider in the House,’ ‘The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols,’ and ‘Cooking the Books.’
In 2011, she presented four episodes of popular television series ‘Daybreak.’ In the same year, she played Organic Fairy in a pantomime (traditional British play) titled ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ which was staged at ‘Bridlington Spa.’ She reprised her role as Organic Fairy in December 2012 at the ‘Pomegranate Theatre’ in Chesterfield.
From 2014 to 2015, she presented a couple of episodes of a TV series documentary titled ‘Great British Garden Revival.’ In 2018, she presented 16 episodes of the popular television series ‘Garden Rescue.’
Apart from appearing on television shows as a gardener, Dimmock has also written many books on gardening. Some of the books written by her are ‘Container Gardening,’ ‘Water Garden Workbook,’ and ‘Enjoy Your Garden.’ She has also worked as a columnist for the British newspaper ‘Mail on Sunday.’
Family & Personal Life
Charlie Dimmock’s father Terry Dimmock worked as a merchant seaman, while her mother Sue Kennedy owned a shop that sold clothes. Dimmock’s parents got separated and her mother went on to marry Rob.
Her mother and stepfather lost their lives during the 2004 tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake. After losing her mother, Dimmock turned down many offers to appear in television shows and kept a low profile until 2006.
She was in a long-term relationship with a viticulturist named John Mushet whom she had met while traveling in New Zealand in the early 90s. They broke up in 2001 when Dimmock had an affair with Andy Simmons who worked as a microphone operator on the sets of the TV series ‘Ground Force.’ She then started a relationship with Barry Smith who worked as a sound technician for the same TV series.
In 2003, she took part in the ‘Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge’ which is an annual navigational endurance challenge event. Her participation raised the event’s profile considerably, so much so that the event has raised more than £100,000 each year. The money raised during the event is donated to ‘Macmillan Cancer Support.’
She also works closely with charity organizations, such as ‘Dreamflight’ which collaborates with ‘British Airways’ to fly children with serious illnesses to Florida, United States. She currently lives alone in a rented cottage in Romsey which she once shared with John.
