Alison Hammond has opened up about the painful period when she feared her TV career had run out of road — and revealed she quietly took a receptionist job to survive.
The presenter, now one of This Morning’s most familiar faces, said things took a worrying turn around 2008 when she realised her role on the show no longer felt secure. After Peter Andre was brought in to handle celebrity interview junkets, Alison admitted she feared that was the moment her time on television was slipping away.
Rather than giving in, she found work far away from the spotlight. While having her hair done, Alison discovered a salon needed a receptionist and boldly asked for the job herself. She got it — and even ended up doing the occasional blow-dry too.
But behind that determined move was a much more emotional reality. Alison revealed her finances had become so tight that her mum stepped in to pay the mortgage, helping her keep hold of her home at a point when everything felt uncertain.
It makes her current success feel even more remarkable. After first appearing on This Morning in 2002 as a roving reporter, Alison gradually built a television career that now feels firmly established, with a regular Friday hosting slot alongside Dermot O’Leary and a string of much-loved TV appearances behind her.
Away from work, Alison also appears happier than ever in her private life. She has been dating Russian model David since 2023 and recently insisted that, despite their 22-year age gap, the pair are deeply in love. For Alison, the message is simple: people should focus less on the numbers and more on the happiness she has finally found.
