20 November 2023 , 15:58
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Alison Hammond had a savage one-line response to Sir Cliff Richard's rude comments about Elvis Presley's weight gain.
The This Morning host was joined by the English singer alongside Dermot O'Leary and Sarah Ferguson on Monday morning for a discussion about his career journey in showbiz, and some of the star-studded experiences he had along the way.
The 83-year-old confessed that he had turned down an opportunity to meet Elvis Presley, because he didn't want to be photographed next to the King of Rock'n'Roll when he was overweight. "He'd put on a lot of weight," Cliff explained, before adding, "I thought, 'if I'm taking a photograph with him, and it's going to be hanging on my refrigerator, he's gotta look good."
The Devil Woman singer, who was originally marketed as the British equivalent of Elvis, then said he ended up missing his chance altogether. "I put it off, and then, of course, he died," he continued. The anecdote clearly didn't sit well with Alison, who quipped, "Should never have put it off just because they're a little bit heavier."
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"If you're a fan of somebody, if you get the chance to meet them, meet them, even if they're put on weight," Cliff urged, before Alison asked, "Is that why you don't want me at your house?"
Fans were quick to applaud the Big Brother star for her handling of Cliff's comments, with many taking to X to share their support. "Cliff Richard was on @thismorning and the only one who called him out on his body shaming bullshit was Alison Hammond," one person wrote, before slamming the Wonderful Life star's remarks as 'fattist'.
Another unimpressed viewer agreed that Cliff's statements were unacceptable, writing, "Well done @AlisonHammond fat shaming is not to be promoted." A third demanded: "Who the hell does Cliff Richard think he is, not wanting a photo with Elvis because Elvis had put on weight. Alison Hammond gave a quick response. How bloody rude."
Cliff Richard confessed he turned down the opportunity to meet Elvis for a very strange reason (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Not everyone interpreted Cliff's statement as offensive, however, with one person arguing, "Being generous to Cliff i think he was probably trying to say he was young & foolish and paid the price by losing his only chance to meet Elvis. I’m pretty sure his words came out wrong & he regretted it straight away. Cliff is from a time when stars had to look a certain way."
At another point of the interview, the bestselling artist revealed that he follows the blood type diet and has cut out meat as well as any food that contains dairy or wheat. He also admittedly used to only consume one meal a day, and that he doesn't eat before performances to prevent dealing with cumbersome 'wind.' Today, he still skips certain meals if he's not feeling peckish.
"Sometimes now I realise that I'm just not hungry. So I have yoghurt for breakfast, some muesli, come lunch I think - no," he said, to which Great British Bake Off host Alison replied, "Can I come over to your house and just stay for a week?"