Alison Hammond has won over Hollywood hunks Harrison Ford and Hugh Jackman with her charm on-screen – but away from the cameras, the bubbly TV presenter keeps her love life a little more coy.
Last month, the 49-year-old star took a blow to her career as one of her TV projects was reportedly binned off. A dance competition she was due to host has been axed before even making it to air. The first episode of Clear The Dance-floor was filmed in February 2023, with Alison helming the series – but the BBC has opted to pull the plug, a source has claimed.
It comes after the heartwarming news that Alison will be taking over from the late Paul O’Grady as the host of his series, For The Love Of Dogs. Alison first shot to fame way back in 2002 when she was a contestant on Big Brother and has since been building up an impressive career, landing roles on ITV’s This Morning and Loose Women and Channel 4’s Bake Off.
But despite her huge presence in the showbiz spotlight, the mum-of-one has managed to keep her romances rather secret over the years. Here, we take a look back on Alison’s love life from her first engagement to ‘single ring’ and her complete U-turn on finding ‘The One’.
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Engaged at 30
As Alison’s loyal social media followers and This Morning fans will know, Alison is very devoted to her 18-year-old son Aiden who lives with her in London. Alison shares her teen with cab driver Noureddine Boufaied.
The pair got engaged when Alison was 30 but they never actually tied the knot. While the relationship didn’t last, the pair remain fond of their time together with Alison describing her former love as a “lovely guy with a beautiful smile”.
Speaking to Gyles Brandreth on his podcast Rosebud, she said: “A lot of people think I’ve been married… I’ve never been married. If you look online, it’s like, ‘Alison was married to Aiden’s dad’, but I wasn’t. We never actually got married. It was the perfect time but I don’t feel like we were ready. He had the most beautiful smile and that’s what I fell in love with… Aiden’s got that smile as well.”
The pair welcomed their first son together on Alison’s 30th birthday. Recalling her labour, Alison said: “He was there. He was loving it. He hadn’t bought me a present, so I was a bit miffed because I was like, ‘I can’t believe it’s my birthday and you haven’t even bought me flowers or a card.”
Past romances
Last year, it was revealed Alison had found love with a ‘hunky’ gardener after years of living the single life. The mum-of-one was said to have settled down with green-fingered Ben Hawkins after employing him to tend to her West Midlands garden. It’s thought the pair had managed to keep the romance secret for over a year before the news finally emerged.
Alison was seen with a beaming broad smile as she was papped leaving Ben’s house first thing in the morning. She later gushed on her ITV daytime show that she had found ‘someone special’ in her life.
It was rumoured that Alison and Ben had got engaged, with Dermot O’Leary even pausing This Morning to congratulate his co-star. Cutting the party in the studio, Alison cried: “I told you, if I was ever to get engaged or get married I would be the first person to tell you! I’d put all over Instagram and TikTok!”
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SplashNews.com)
However, the romance hit the rocks behind the scenes and she even hinted that the relationship was over for good as she told Holly Willoughby she was wearing a ‘single ring’ to let potential suitors know her status without having to ask.
Alison said: “More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you’re single. As you can see, I’ve got my single ring on.” Holly told her: “Hopefully you won’t need it for a lifetime.”
Despite being single for large portions of her adult life, Alison insists she’s not missing out. “I absolutely love my own company. I have no problem with being on my own. In fact, I really quite like it. I think that’s why I struggle in relationships, because I don’t want somebody around me all the time. I absolutely love being on my own. I’m OK with it. I’ve never felt lonely,” she told the Mirror.
Before gardener Ben, Alison endured a doomed stint on romance reality show Celebs Go Dating. She briefly dated audio technician Ben Fusi but the romance didn’t last. Unfortunately for Alison neither did her memory of Ben’s name as she confessed her mind was blank when asked to recall their love on This Morning. “Oh no, he’s going to be watching! What’s his name?” she repeated, before adding: “I’m so sorry.”
Celebrity crush
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ITV)
While a whole host of famous men have fallen for Alison’s charms, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has held a place for the Brummie native close to his heart. The wrestler-turned-mega-movie star even refers to Alison as his ‘ex-wife’ following their excessive flirting over the years.
The Hollywood actor ‘proposed’ to Alison during an interview in 2017 with the pair staging a mock wedding on the ITV show months later. He even took the time out to congratulate Alison on her National Television Award nomination last year.
“Alison, I want to tell you – we’ve known each other for a long time but I’m so happy for you. You’re doing so great, you’ve been nominated for all these National TV Awards, you’ve been incredible, so congratulations!” he gushed as he blew her a kiss. “We’ve got to get married again!” he added
Wedding plans
The single This Morning star opened up last year about how she used to be scared of commitment and was always perfectly happy in her own company – but hinted times are changing. Alison said: “I think as soon as I hear the word marriage, I get cold feet. I think I’m just one of those people.”
She continued: “I always think there’s something better but get a bit nervous to know ‘that is it’. I just feel like I’m tied down and I don’t like it, when really and truly I’m getting to that age now where I think, ‘Alison, let go – it’s OK to settle down’.”
