A star of the BBC’s The Repair Shop has disclosed that Ground Force icon Alan Titchmarsh reached out to him when he was “desperately struggling” with his garden last year. The antiques restoration expert resides in a Surrey countryside property with his wife Polly.
Will Kirk, 41, whose profession requires considerable travel, describes the home as his “sanctuary”. He made the move to the countryside following “39 years in London”.
Will told Country Living magazine back in November that his commitment to the BBC programme was the primary catalyst for the relocation, explaining: “I used to drive from L”THE MOMENT OF COLLAPSE…” — RENOWNED RESTORATION EXPERT HELPLESS IN DESPAIR, GARDENING LEGEND ALAN TITCHMARSH HAS TO STEP IN!
ondon and stay in Sussex, where the barn is located, from Monday to Friday. That’s what inspired us to move for good.”
He also mentioned that becoming a parent “changes your priority” after previously thinking the English capital is “where everything was”. Will has a son and a daughter with Polly.
Despite settling into the property a couple of years ago, Will confessed he still hadn’t managed to resolve issues in the garden. In conversation with House Beautiful last year, he described his outdoor area as a “work in progress,” reports Wales Online.
He said: “I’ve recently been outside desperately trying to breathe some life into the grass, which is really dry and dusty. One of my neighbours’ plants keeps growing over the fence and strangling my roses, so I’m out there every week cutting them back.
“Alan Titchmarsh lives nearby and offered to come and take a look, but I told him I’d get it to a decent level first, then he can advise me on flowers and plants.”
Will had previously spoken about his garden with Alan on the presenter’s ITV programme. During a 2025 visit to Love Your Weekend, the star revealed he had made it a “priority” over everything else at the Victorian property.
He explained his previous London flat had only a balcony with “some dying plants”. Yet, Will admitted that Polly had different priorities, urging they concentrate on renovating the interior into their ideal home first.
He said: “My wife was very firm with, ‘Let’s start with the inside of the house first before we paint the front door and start doing the gardening,’ but I went straight to the garden.”
Will explained the property’s former residents had put in a hot tub in the garden, which created a “big brown patch” on his lawn.
While he’s been working to restore his grass, he admits developing a real passion for gardening. Speaking to Alan, he said: “I’ve been doing a lot of gardening. I’ve been looking online at a lot of your videos on how to sow seeds and things like that. You make it look very easy!”
Will Kirk is appearing on The Chase Celebrity Special on Sunday night at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Source: Alan Titchmarsh helped The Repair Shop star through his ‘desperate’ struggle