All Alison Hammond wants is to “bring happiness and spread joy.” She’s so dedicated to this mission that she even did it right after her beloved mother Maria passed away five years ago. “My mum died in the hospital at 5:30 a.m.,” she recalls. “At 6 a.m., I went out to my car, and a woman stopped me for a selfie. I said sure, no problem. I knew it would make her happy, so I hid behind my own smile. She had no idea my mum had just died, but looking back, oh my God—I’ll always remember that moment.”
The 50-year-old whirlwind from Birmingham loves to make someone’s day. Recently, at her local supermarket, she met a fan named Kate who had just lost her own mother. “I’ll never forget how hard it was when my mum passed, so I invited Kate to the Bake Off final. She met Paul Hollywood, and he gave her a handshake. She said it was the best day of her life. It doesn’t take much, does it? Kindness really does make a difference.”
Hammond’s high-energy enthusiasm and infectious humor have earned her a devoted following, but she’s fully aware that not everyone enjoys her on-screen presence. “Not everyone likes me. Look, I’ll show you a video that made me laugh.” She plays a TikTok of a woman complaining about her joining the cast of Celebrity Gogglebox. “Give somebody else a chance, love,” the woman rants. “We’re sick of the bloody sight of you.”
“I like these because they keep me humble,” says Hammond. “They remind me I’m not all that. She hates my guts, but that’s okay. People say Pete Wicks would be better than me at presenting For the Love of Dogs. He might be, but I’m doing it. Deal with it! I know my worth. Besides, my mum would have been so proud. That’s the reason I do this. She’s my guiding light.”
TikTok trolls haven’t dimmed Hammond’s glow. After a long day of promoting the Great British Bake Off, she sits on a chaise longue, radiating energy and warmth. When people walk by—including her co-host Noel Fielding, wearing a skull jumper—she pulls them into our conversation. She shows me gossipy messages on her phone, and her trademark laugh rings out regularly. “I don’t think I laugh that loudly, then I hear myself on TV and think: what do I sound like? It’s like a horn. A literal foghorn.” At that moment, it peals out again.
We’re meeting to discuss Bake Off’s upcoming 16th series and Hammond’s third as co-host. “I still see myself as the new girl,” she says. “Paul has been there from the start, obviously. Noel and Prue [Leith] have been there for nine years. So I’m still the newbie, and they’re still bullying me. Only joking. I bully them too, to be fair, especially Paul. I call him out for being mean to the bakers. He’s dead stingy with the handshakes this year. Even I haven’t gotten a Hollywood handshake in real life. He’s funny about them. That handshake is worth a lot. His hands are probably insured for millions!”
This year’s group of 12 amateur bakers is typically diverse: “We’ve got the whole spectrum, from age 23 to 59. There’s an engineer, a hairdresser, a medical student, a wedding dress designer. But the one thing they all have in common is that baking means everything to them.” Hammond has genuine empathy for them because she’s experienced both sides of reality TV. “I was a contestant on Big Brother, in the jungle, even on Celebrity Bake Off,” she nods. “I know what they’re going through. There’s one baker who can’t even make caramel, but they learn on the job and do brilliantly.”I love watching them progress. They go into the tent as one person and come out transformed. You can’t help but get emotionally invested. What really gets to me is hearing about who they’ve left behind to take part. Some have kids—they’re missing time with their babies because they’re working so hard. You find yourself rooting for them. When they leave, it brings a lump to your throat.
Last year, Hammond took a hilarious tumble off a workbench. Any pratfalls to look forward to this time? “Loads. It’s me you’re talking to—I’m always awkward and clumsy. Hopefully they’ll edit out the mishaps, but knowing our team, they’ll leave them in.” Things go wrong for the bakers too. “A technical challenge goes disastrously wrong, and it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Even the bakers see the funny side eventually.”
Asked for behind-the-scenes tidbits, she grins: “We’ve all got our own deckchairs now. We’ve put them outside our little shepherd’s hut trailers so we can sit and chat. Hopefully next year, we’ll get a jacuzzi.” There was plenty of whizzing around the Welford Park grounds in golf buggies. “Noel doesn’t have a driving licence, so he’s obsessed. That’s his time to be a driver. He was extra lucky this year: for his birthday, Paul bought him the car that Noel’s dad had when he was a kid—this beautiful three-wheeler. Now he has to pass his test, or it’ll be embarrassing. Someone buys you a car and you can’t drive it? A bit rude. I made a point of telling Paul that my dad drove a Mercedes, so next birthday, you never know. Fingers crossed!”
Hammond’s weight loss has become a tabloid obsession. She shed an impressive 11 stone thanks to healthy eating and weight training, and she looks fabulous in a shimmery olive jumpsuit. How much sampling of the bakes does she do? “I tried to hold back, but I still put on 2kg this series. When I see a handshake, I’ve got to try it. I always taste the winning technical and best showstopper.” Is she still weightlifting? “I am, but I haven’t had time lately. I hadn’t been to the gym for ages, but I went back yesterday and, babes, I think I pulled a muscle. I was like, I’m getting too old for this.” Surely she gets free massages from her boyfriend David Putman—a masseur who, cue another tabloid fixation, is 23 years her junior? “It was better when I used to pay for them,” she chuckles. “I don’t get anything anymore. He does everyone else but me!”
This spring, Hammond finally landed her own interview series, Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend on BBC One, where she spent a weekend at the homes of her famous guests. “I adored it,” she says. “Just holding that space for people to talk. Some of the things they told me caught me off guard. It was lovely that they felt comfortable enough to open up. Perrie Edwards discussing her struggles with anxiety was really powerful. So was Mel B talking about being a survivor of domestic abuse.”
Comedian Jimmy Carr—when he wasn’t teasing Hammond about her pronunciation of “skeleton” (“I still don’t know what I’m saying wrong,” she laughs. “It’s skellington, isn’t it?”)—spoke movingly about seeing his late mother in his own son. I wonder if Hammond feels the same about her 20-year-old son, Aidan. “Without a doubt. Aidan’s exactly like her, right down to the way he eats and how he’s strict about home security. He tells me off if I haven’t locked the porch, which was exactly what my mum did. It’s like she came back.”He’s back, my son. A second series of Big Weekend hasn’t been announced yet (come on, BBC), but who would be her dream guests? “Kylie, definitely. Madonna? Oprah? Let’s aim high and see what happens.”
Hammond has plenty to keep her busy in the meantime. Every Friday, she co-presents This Morning with Dermot O’Leary. It’s always the best episode of the week. Would she want to do the other four days? “Nope,” she says firmly. “I live in Birmingham, and spending all my time in London would be too much. Cat [Deeley] and Ben [Shephard, the main hosts] are incredible. Anyway, I like being the Friday person. The weekend’s coming, let’s have some fun.”
Last year, she took on the tough job of hosting ITV’s For the Love of Dogs after the death of longtime host Paul O’Grady. “I never tried to fill Paul’s shoes. Those shoes are well and truly filled. Mine are a totally different pair. I can see why he did the job for so long. It’s bloody lovely. Being with dogs is like therapy.”
She got her strong work ethic from her mother, Maria. “Mum was a proper grafter, and I am too. I’m a single parent like she was. She understood what that’s like and helped me so much. With every success comes sacrifice. I wasn’t always around for Aidan, but she was. We called her his second mum. When Aidan was little, I made a rule that I’d only work three days a week, no more, so I could be there for him. Now he’s older, it’s more flexible.”
Does she worry about being overexposed? “No. If I need to rest or a job doesn’t appeal, I won’t do it. I’m good at saying no. I turn down 10 things a day, no exaggeration. It might look like I’m on TV a lot, sure, but I stand out partly because it’s still not the norm to see a Black woman doing this. I don’t want to bring race into it, but no one says that about Davina or Ant and Dec. I’ve worked hard for 22 years to get here. That woman on TikTok is allowed her opinion. It keeps me grounded. I’m not a national treasure. I’m just me, doing a job that I adore to the best of my ability, trying to be better than I was yesterday.”
That 22-year journey began on Big Brother. In the reality show’s third series, Hammond famously jumped on a garden table and broke it. And just like that, a TV career was born. “Wow, what a time. The maddest thing is, I was only in there for 14 days, but it was life-changing. I’m eternally grateful to Big Brother. If it wasn’t for that show and breaking that table, I wouldn’t be doing what I love now. And I never did pay for the damage.”
Next up is a new Channel 4 show called Your Song, which has been called “The Piano for singing.” “I’d forgotten about that show!” she laughs. “God, I really am everywhere, aren’t I? It’s about people singing who probably never planned to—everyday people with a connection to a particular song.”
She laughs off any idea of a career plan. “I just do what makes me happy, and I do it with grace and love. I’m 50 now. I only want joy in my life. What links all the shows I do is people and joy. I enjoy talking to the public because I am the public. I’m normal too. I just happen to laugh like a foghorn.”
The Great British Bake Off returns on 2 September at 8pm on Channel 4.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About My laugh is like a horna foghorn How Alison Hammond Became Televisions Most Joyful Presenter
General Questions
Q Who is Alison Hammond
A Alison Hammond is a British television presenter known for her infectious personality humor and joyful presence on shows like This Morning and The Great British Bake Off
Q What does My laugh is like a horna foghorn mean
A Its a playful way Alison describes her loud distinctive and contagious laugh comparing it to the deep booming sound of a foghorn
Q Why is Alison Hammond considered televisions most joyful presenter
A She brings genuine happiness warmth and humor to her roles making viewers feel uplifted and connected through her positive energy
Background and Career
Q How did Alison Hammond get her start in television
A She first gained fame as a contestant on Big Brother in 2002 and later transitioned into presenting becoming a beloved figure on daytime TV
Q What shows has Alison Hammond presented
A Shes best known for This Morning The Great British Bake Off An Extra Slice and has appeared on shows like Im a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here
Q Has Alison won any awards for her presenting
A While she hasnt won major individual awards yet shes widely praised and has a strong fan following for her contributions to television
Personality and Impact
Q What makes Alison Hammonds presenting style unique
A Her authenticity relatability and ability to find joy in every situation set her apartshes not afraid to be herself and make people laugh
Q How does Alison handle difficult or awkward moments on air
A She uses humor kindness and quick thinking to diffuse tension often turning challenging situations into lighthearted moments
Q Why do people find Alison so relatable
A She comes across as downtoearth doesnt take herself too seriously and shares her real emotions making her feel like a friend to viewers
Practical Insights
Q Can Alisons approach to joy be applied in everyday life
A Yes Embracing authenticity finding humor in small things and
