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Alison Hammond (born 5 February 1975) is a British television presenter and actress. She competed in the third series of the reality show Big Brother in 2002, in which she was the second housemate to be evicted. She has since become a presenter and reporter on ITV's This Morning (2002–present) and a co-presenter on the Channel 4 reality baking competition The Great British Bake Off (2023–present). In January 2024, it was announced that Hammond would take over For the Love of Dogs from Paul O'Grady, following his death in March 2023.

Hammond has also appeared on reality shows such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2010), Celebrity Coach Trip (2012), Strictly Come Dancing (2014), Celebrity Masterchef (2014), and I Can See Your Voice (2021–2022). As an actress, Hammond has appeared in Palace Hill (1988–1990), Doctors (2002), and The Dumping Ground (2016).

Early and personal life

Hammond was born on 5 February 1975 to Jamaican parents and was raised in the north Birmingham district of Kingstanding alongside her two siblings. She attended Cardinal Wiseman School. Her mother had several jobs concurrently, including one as a manager for Tupperware. From the age of 11, Hammond participated in drama workshops run by Central Television, but lack of funds meant she was unable to attend drama school. She later moved to Hall Green in south Birmingham. She was previously engaged to Noureddine Boufaied from 2005 to 2014, and together the couple have one son, born in 2005.

Career

In 2002, Hammond competed on the third series of the Channel 4 reality series Big Brother. That same year, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors in an acting role and also began presenting and reporting for ITV's This Morning. Hammond then appeared on many television programmes, including Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrities Under Pressure, and Big Star's Little Star. She has also appeared on Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes, performing as Nina Simone, Celebrity Ready Steady Cook, Daily Cooks Challenge, as a panellist on ITV's Loose Women, and as a presenter on the short-lived ITV Play channel. In 2004, Hammond played herself as a TV reporter in Christmas Lights opposite Robson Green. In 2008, Hammond was named as the face of online bingo site Crown Bingo and took part in live chats, voiced characters and can be heard as the bingo caller in the bingo room. In November 2010, Hammond became a contestant on the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and, on 28 November 2010, became the fourth contestant to leave the show.

In 2014, Hammond participated in the ninth series of Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One. She also participated in the twelfth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 on BBC One. She partnered with 11th series' champion Aljaž Škorjanec. They were voted off in the seventh week of competition and finished 10th. On 19 November 2015, it was announced she would compete in the annual Strictly Christmas Special. Hammond made her Hollywood debut in the animated film Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018). In 2020, ITV announced a shake-up of This Morning presenters, with Hammond replacing Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on a Friday, presenting alongside Dermot O'Leary. Hammond and O'Leary have since taken on the other days after the respective resignations of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in the summer and autumn of 2023 as part of a rotation of hosts.

In December 2020, Alison appeared as a celebrity guest on game show The Wheel on BBC One. She also played the Countess in the Sainsbury's 2022 Christmas advert. Hammond then hosted the 76th British Academy Film Awards with Richard E. Grant. It was announced in March 2023 that Hammond would be the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off, replacing Matt Lucas.

From April 2024 she has presented For the Love of Dogs, following the death of original presenter Paul O'Grady.

Filmography

Guest appearances

• Celebrities Under Pressure (July 2004)
• Hell's Kitchen (April 2009)
• Hole in the Wall (October 2009)
• Angela and Friends (January 2010) – 3 episodes
• All Star Family Fortunes (December 2010) – Contestant, This Morning vs Emmerdale
• Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (December 2012) – Contestant
• Big Star's Little Star (9 April 2014) – Contestant
• Weekend (3 May 2014) – Herself
• Who's Doing the Dishes? (2014) – Celebrity chef
• Celebrity Squares (19 April 2015) – Guest
• The Chase: Celebrity Special (1 May 2016) – Contestant
• Hacker Time (August 2016) – Guest
• Tipping Point: Lucky Stars (22 October 2017) – Contestant
• Catchphrase (British game show) (9 December 2018) – Contestant
• Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule (8 June 2019) – Guest
• Hollyoaks (14 June 2019) – Guest
• Joe Lycett's Got Your Back (29 May 2020) – Guest
• Big Brother: Best Shows Ever (22 June 2020) – Guest
• DNA Journey (6 October 2022) – Guest
• Saving Grace podcast (26 October 2022) – Guest
• Michael McIntyre's Big Show (4 February 2024) - Midnight Gameshow

Stage appearances

• The Rocky Horror Show (as the Narrator) - The Alexandra, Birmingham - 2019
• Jack and the Beanstalk (as the Spirit of the Beans) - Birmingham Hippodrome - 2023–24
• Peter Pan (as the Magical Mermaid) - Birmingham Hippodrome - 2024–25

Books

• You’ve Got To Laugh: Stories from a Life Lived to the Full (Penguin, 2022) ISBN 9780552178563
• Bombshell (Bantam, 2024) ISBN 9781787635258

References

1. "Alison evicted from Big Brother". BBC News. 8 June 2002. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
2. ^ "Big time after Big Brother". BBC Birmingham. November 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
3. ^ Kheraj, Alim (28 September 2020). "This Morning's Alison Hammond: 'I had to educate myself on black history'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
4. Padin, Malvika (1 February 2022). "This Morning host Alison Hammond's fabulous life - her age and relationships". mirror. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
5. "Alison Hammond". Birmingham.livingmag.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
6. Dalton, Nia; Otter, Saffron (16 April 2024). "Alison Hammond's brutal 7-word explanation for breaking off two engagements". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
7. Clarke, Naomi (17 March 2023). "Alison Hammond: From Big Brother to beloved presenter". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
8. "Alison Hammond Joins Crown Bingo". PR Web. 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
9. "Alison Hammond leaves the jungle". Oxford Mail. PA News. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
10. Wightman, Catriona (19 August 2014). "Strictly Come Dancing: Alison Hammond joins the cast". Digital Spy.
11. Michael Hogan (9 November 2014). "Alison Hammond voted off Strictly Come Dancing, review". The Telegraph.
12. Coupe, Kerry (17 December 2015). "Royal Marine Cassidy Little to star in Christmas Strictly special". Stamford Mercury. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
13. "Alison Hammond on Instagram: 'It's official !!! I am to voice a character in a Hollywood Blockbuster movie Hotel Transylvania 3 and I just can't wait I'm so excited to...'". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
14. "Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary to join This Morning presenting family". ITV. ITV. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
15. Otter, Saffron; Sulway, Verity (13 December 2020). "Michael McIntyre left 'horrified' after new show The Wheel ends in disaster". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
16. "Pudding it out there: Sainsbury's reinvents the Christmas pudding in tongue-in-cheek fairy tale advert". 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
17. Richardson, Hollie; Seale, Jack; Duggins, Alexi; Catterall, Ali; Wardell, Simon (19 February 2023). "TV tonight: Alison Hammond and Richard E Grant host this year's Baftas". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
18. "The Great British Bake Off: Alison Hammond replaces Matt Lucas as co-host". BBC News. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
19. Rodger, James (16 April 2024). "Alison Hammond breaks silence over For the Love of Dogs boycott". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
20. "Alison Hammond In at the Rich End: The Riviera". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
21. "The British Academy Film Awards". BBC. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
22. "The Great British Bake Off: Alison Hammond replaces Matt Lucas as co-host". BBC News. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
23. Rob Beckett's Smart TV (Game-Show), Rob Beckett, Alison Hammond, Josh Widdicombe, Talkback Thames, 28 February 2024, retrieved 14 April 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
24. "Alison Hammond's Big Weekend coming to BBC One and iPlayer in 2025". BBC/mediacentre. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
25. "Alison Hammond takes on the Sunshine State…on a budget, in Florida Unpacked". BBC/mediacentre. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
26. Anderton, Joe (27 March 2019). "Hollyoaks brings in This Morning's Alison Hammond for a surprise cameo". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 November 2020.

External links

• Alison Hammond at IMDb 
• Alison Hammond at itv.com

• 1975 births
• Actresses from Birmingham, West Midlands
• Big Brother (British TV series) contestants
• Black British television personalities
• English child actresses
• English people of Jamaican descent
• English television actresses
• English television presenters
• Living people
• Mass media people from Birmingham, West Midlands