Charlie Dimmock: No bra, no knickers… and definitely no man!

From going braless to sticking to the single life, gardening guru Charlie Dimmock has always walked the road less travelled…

Green-fingered gardening genius Charlie Dimmock has been delighting fans on BBC’s Garden Rescue for years. And this Summer has been no exception – alongside the Rich brothers, Harry and David, she’s been transforming outdoor spaces and delighting homeowners across the country.

But Charlie, who turns 55 on 10 August, is intriguing, not only for her knowledge in gardens – but for her headlinegrabbing choices, right from the start of her career.

Charlie rose to fame in the Nineties, alongside Alan Titchmarsh – and it was for more than her gardening skills.

She failed to heed the advice of TV veteran, Esther Rantzen, who warned her to keep a bra on by saying, ‘You’ll be labelled the bra-less one for the rest of your life.’

Charlie admitted, ‘ Ground Force was a long time ago, and I have to say, even now, people will bring it up. It is very silly.

‘It was just for comfort. If you’re swinging a sledgehammer, you want to be comfortable!’

But that wasn’t the only item of underwear the bra-dodging star wasn’t fond of back then.

‘I only wear underwear if I have to get undressed in front of someone. So, no bra. And no knickers either,’ she said in 1996. ‘If I do wear knickers, they’re Marks and Sparks 12-14s, I cannot abide tight knickers. I find thongs quite uncomfortable as well. So, I’m better without knickers altogether.’

Charlie, once dubbed ‘ horticultural viagra’, largely disappeared from public life after the death of her mum Sue and stepdad Robert in the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.

And in 2016, she stated: ‘I’m way past marriage at this point. I’m going to be 50 soon… Even sharing a house with someone would be a no for me. I like my own company. I like to do what I want to do… I don’t mind fitting in a bit, but I like to be able to get away and have the house to myself.’

She still fits in well on our TV shows but now lives (it’s believed) in the New Forest – away from the spotlight – with her pet horse. She is not on social media, so fans get little insight into her private life.

Her look may have changed over the years but, rather like Bridget Jones, we still love her – just the way she is… fun, quirky and flame-haired.

Episodes of Garden Rescue are currently available on iPlayer