Alison Hammond has emotionally opened up about her “fickle” financial struggles. The 49-year-old This Morning presenter, who first gained fame on Big Brother in the early 2000s, is a well-known face on British television. With appearances on shows like the Great British Bake Off and For The Love Of Dogs, it would be easy to assume that the cheerful Brummie was financially secure.
But in 2007, Alison found herself without work when she wasn’t used by This Morning. Speaking candidly about her financial difficulties during a period when she was a recognisable figure, Alison confessed: “There was a time when I couldn’t pay my mortgage, and I was really famous.” She took a job at a local hairdresser’s, but if a customer recognised her, she would claim she was just helping out, then “I’d answer the phone, do a few blow dries,” she recalls.
Her young son, Aidan, was at home while her mother provided them with financial support. When Alison recounted the story in an interview with the Guardian, she became tearful, explaining: “It’s not all good all of the time. But I was all right, you know? That’s television, it’s fickle and it’s part of my journey, part of my power.”
Last year, Alison joined the cast of Bake Off, replacing comedian Matt Lucas, who announced he was leaving to concentrate on ‘other projects’. The mum-of-one, who unlike co-host Noel Fielding actually eats the cakes, has been warmly received by viewers. Alison has spoken candidly about her future on the show, stating: “That’s OK. I know I’ll be OK, because I’ve been OK before. I’ll go and work at Tesco and people will still love me.”
For The Love Of Dogs, a show that seems eager to welcome Alison back, is rumoured to return in the first half of 2025 amid speculation over Alison potentially being dropped from the series. Her debut series saw a dip in viewership with the April episode pulling in an average of 1.84 million viewers and peaking at 2 million, a stark contrast to Paul OGrady’s more than four million average viewers in 2021, as reported by ITV.
Addressing the online negativity she faced, Alison revealed: “I was actually surprised with how much [trolling] I got for doing the show. I could understand in the sense that Paul was so loved, and people were saying: ‘How can she do Love Of Dogs when she doesn’t have a dog? How does she love dogs when she doesn’t have a dog? ‘ It’s like saying: ‘How can you love children when you haven’t got kids? ‘”.