Alison Hammond (born 5 February 1975) is a British

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

and actress. She competed in the

third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

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 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

reality baking competition ''

The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...

'' (2023–present). In January 2024, it was announced that Hammond would take over '' For the Love of Dogs'' from

Paul O'Grady Paul James O'Grady (14 June 1955 – 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, broadcaster, drag queen, actor, and writer. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag persona Lily Savage, through which he gained ...

, 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 ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' (2014), '' Celebrity Masterchef'' (2014), and ''I Can See Your Voice'' (2021–2022). As an actress, Hammond has appeared in '' Palace Hill'' (1988–1990), ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' (2002), and ''

The Dumping Ground ''The Dumping Ground'' (also informally referred to as ''The DG'') is a Television in the United Kingdom, British children's television series, children's television drama series that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people who ...

'' (2016).

Early and personal life

Hammond was born on 5 February 1975 to Jamaican parents and was raised in the north

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

district of

Kingstanding Kingstanding is an area in north Birmingham, England. It gives its name to a ward in the Erdington council constituency. Kingstanding ward includes the areas; Perry Common, Witton Lakes. The other part of Kingstanding falls under the Oscott ...

alongside her two siblings. She attended Cardinal Wiseman School. Her mother had several jobs concurrently, including one as a manager for

Tupperware Tupperware is an American company that manufactures and internationally distributes preparation, storage, and serving containers for the kitchen and home. It was founded in 1942 by Earl Tupper, who developed his first bell-shaped container and ...

. 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 Hall Green is an area in southeast Birmingham, England, synonymous with the B28 postcode. It is also a council constituency of Birmingham City Council, managed by its own district committee. Historic counties of England, Historically it lay wit ...

in south Birmingham. She was previously engaged to Noureddine Boufaied from 2005 to 2014, and together the couple have one son, born in 2005. Hammond has been dating David Putman since late 2023.

Career

In 2002, Hammond competed on the third series of the

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

''Big Brother''. That same year, she appeared in an episode of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 ''Celebrity Fit Club'' is a reality television series that follows eight overweight celebrities as they try to lose weight for charity. Split into two competing teams of four, each week teams are given different physical challenges, and weighed ...

'', '' Celebrities Under Pressure,'' and ''

Big Star's Little Star ''Big Star's Little Star'' is a British game show that began on ITV on 4 September 2013 and is presented by Stephen Mulhern. The show sees three celebrity contestants and their children or grandchildren answering questions about each other to ...

''. She has also appeared on ''Celebrity

Stars in Their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format '' Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 Ju ...

'', performing as

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

, '' Celebrity Ready Steady Cook'', ''

Daily Cooks Challenge ''...Cooks!'' is an ITV television cookery show, hosted by Antony Worrall Thompson, broadcast between 10 June 2006 to 21 May 2010. Formats There were different names for the show, depending on which day it aired. The Saturday morning show wa ...

'', as a panellist on ITV's ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...

'', and as a presenter on the short-lived ''

ITV Play ITV Play was a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was devoted exclusively to phone-in quiz show programmes, expanding upon ITV1 and ITV2's late-night quiz programmes such as ...

'' channel. In 2004, Hammond played herself as a TV reporter in ''

Christmas Lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom ...

'' opposite

Robson Green Robson Golightly Green (born 18 December 1964) is an English actor, singer-songwriter and television presenter. His first major TV role was as hospital porter Jimmy Powell in BBC drama series '' Casualty'' in 1989. He then went on to portray F ...

. 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 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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 Eamonn Holmes (; born 3 December 1959) is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist. He co-presented the breakfast television show ''GMTV'' (1993–2005) for ITV, before presenting ''Sunrise'' (2005–2016) for Sky News. Holmes co-presente ...

and

Ruth Langsford Ruth Wendy Langsford (born 17 March 1960) formerly known as Ruth Holmes is an English television presenter. She has presented various television shows, including ''This Morning (TV programme), This Morning'' (1999–2022), of which she is the ...

on a Friday, presenting alongside

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot O'Leary (born 24 May 1973) is a British-Irish broadcaster. He presented the television talent show ''The X Factor'' on ITV from 2007 until its final series in 2018, with the exception of 2015. Since 2021, O'Leary has presented ITV' ...

. Hammond and O'Leary have since taken on the other days after the respective resignations of

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield ( ; born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter. He began his career as a Children's BBC continuity announcer from 1985 to 1987, and went on to present a wide range of high-profile programmes for the BBC and ...

and

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She has presented various television shows for ITV, most notably '' This Morning'' (2009–2023) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 201 ...

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 J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

2022 Christmas advert. Hammond then hosted the

76th British Academy Film Awards The 76th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the British Academy Film Awards, BAFTAs, were held on 19 February 2023, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2022 in film, 2022, at the Royal Festival Hall within London's ...

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 Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...

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

Filmography

Guest appearances

*'' Celebrities Under Pressure'' (July 2004) *''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

'' (April 2009) *'' Hole in the Wall'' (October 2009) *''

Angela and Friends ''Angela and Friends'' is a British talk show which was produced by Crackit Productions for Sky One. The show aired at 12pm, Monday to Friday, and was presented by actress Angela Griffin, who was joined by three "friends" in each show to discuss ...

'' (January 2010) – 3 episodes *'' All Star Family Fortunes'' (December 2010) – Contestant, '' This Morning'' vs ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' *'' Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (December 2012) – Contestant *''

'' (9 April 2014) – Contestant *''

Weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...

'' (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) ''Catchphrase'' is a British game show based on the short-lived American game show of the same name. It originally aired in the United Kingdom between 12 January 1986 and 23 April 2004. A revival premiered on ITV1 on 7 April 2013 and is still ...

'' (9 December 2018) – Contestant *''

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule ''Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule'' is a British television comedy panel show created, written and presented by Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and w ...

'' (8 June 2019) – Guest *''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' (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 ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'' (as the Narrator) -

The Alexandra, Birmingham The Alexandra, commonly known as the Alex, is a theatre on Suffolk Queensway in Birmingham, England. History Construction of the theatre commenced in 1900 and was completed in 1901. The architects were Owen & Ward and the theatre was opened on ...

- 2019 * ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

'' (as the Spirit of the Beans) -

Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including v ...

- 2023–24 * ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' (as the Magical Mermaid) -

- 2024–25

Books

* ''You’ve Got To Laugh: Stories from a Life Lived to the Full'' (

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

, 2022) * ''Bombshell'' ( Bantam, 2024)

References

External links

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