Alison Hammond has reassured fans about her health after she was dramatically rushed off air during Friday's episode of This Morning. The Birmingham-born presenter revealed she was taken for medical treatment after being seen clutching her chest as she dashed off screen.
Speaking in a gown while laid up in a bed, Alison, 51, said she had been experiencing heart palpitations, prompting concerns over her heart, according to the Mirror.
Presenter's health update from hospital
Saying she would do 'anything to get a day off', Alison jokingly posted to Instagram: "Hello, my lovelies, I know you're all worried about me. Honestly, I am fine. I'm getting my old ticker checked out. I had a bit of a palpitation and now I'm getting it all checked out.
"I'm hoping it was a little panic attack. I love you all, I'm so sorry I left you, I would never normally leave a TV show. The doctors are checking me out and hopefully everything is fine. Everything is fine. I’m rocking it. Look how good I look – still got my make-up on from this morning. Lush."
On-air incident details
The worrying moment happened an hour into the episode, whilst Alison was talking to TV vet Dr Scott Miller with co-host Dermot O'Leary. While Dr Scott was on-screen, Alison could be heard breathing heavily and was then seen raising a hand to her chest. She was promptly helped away from the cameras by Dermot.
A concerned Dr Scott tried to keep the segment going, but kept glancing to the side, where Alison had been taken, as retching could be heard in the background. The show quickly cut to an ad break, with Dermot standing alone on set when it returned. He told viewers: "Welcome back to This Morning, Ali is feeling just a little unwell so she's just had to duck out. Hopefully she'll be back in a sec."
He later said that Alison would not be coming back. "Ali's feeling a little unwell," he repeated. "So I'll be here for the rest of the show."
Career and health background
Alison first appeared on This Morning in 2003, a year after she found fame on Big Brother, and became a co-host in 2021. She is known for memorable TV moments and celebrity interviews such as playing Connect 4 with pop star Beyonce, and also co-hosts The Great British Bake Off alongside comedian Noel Fielding.
The star has often been open about her health, telling Radio Times she has been working with a personal trainer for five years. She said: "We're not getting any younger, are we babes? You realise at some point you've got to look after yourself."
Alison said her drive to get fitter started when she found out she was pre-diabetic. "My mum had Type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me, so when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening," Alison said. "I thought, 'I have to be an adult about this'. The sweets had to stop, and the fatty foods." The health scare, along with the death of her mum from cancer the same year, provided a huge inspiration for Alison to overhaul her lifestyle.
She has also spoken about how she lives with osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, making them more fragile and prone to breaks. To protect her joint and bone health, she uses weight training and low-impact movement.
In 2007, she had a gastric band fitted to help control her weight after reaching 28 stone. However, the device was rejected by her body, leaving her feeling constantly sick, and she had it surgically removed less than three years later. She has lost 11 to 13.5 stone entirely naturally, through a moderated diet, a dedicated personal trainer, and a mix of boxing, weights, and Pilates.
She has denied using any weight loss jabs, but says she does not judge anyone who chooses to use them. "For me, as soon as I hear any scare story, I get frightened. So I haven't wanted to use them," she admitted.
"What does it matter how people lose weight? Would you rather me die from being obese? If you want the jabs, if you want to go do gastric surgery, do it. Ultimately, we should want people to live longer," she insisted.
