Inside Alison Hammond's love life as she drops marriage bombshell
Alison Hammond's shameless flirting with A-list stars on This Morning has earned her legions of fans, but the much-loved presenter is a little more coy when it comes to her love life off camera.
Earlier this year, it was revealed the former Big Brother star 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 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, 48, was seen with a beaming a 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.
However, earlier this year Alison made it clear the romance had hit the rocks behind the scenes.
TOWIE's Chloe Brockett makes cheeky dig at Saffron Lempriere during filmingBut despite her heartbreak, Alison has refused to be burned by love and in a very candid chat has revealed she is still open to marriage.
We take a look back on Alison's love life from her first engagement, This Morning proposal, 'single ring' and her complete U-turn on finding 'The One.'
Life as a single parent
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.'
“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."' she told Gyles Brandreth in an episode of his podcast Rosebud.
Past romances
While Alison has been guarded about her love life, she did endure 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."
She went on to date security guard Jamie Savage before her relationship with landscape gardener Ben Hawkins. 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!”
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'However, Alison moved fast to deny the rumours. In March this year 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 in 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.”
Celebrity crush
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. "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 has opened up 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.
“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’.”