Alison Hammond has proven once again that her laugh is a tonic to us all, as she broke into hysterics on Friday’s This Morning.
During a segment on the happiness of finding unexpected change around the house, her co-host Dermot O’Leary outed Alison when she told viewers a story about a time she did a good deed.
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Alison told her co-stars: “I did find a note the other day. I was coming out of a car park and I was walking and I looked at the floor and I was like, that looks like a £20 note. It was! I picked it up and I donated it to charity.”
As the guests praised Alison’s actions and she smiled to the camera, Dermot pulled a face and interjected: “Hang on, when you say you donated it to charity…”
TheGreat British Bake Off host kept trying to move on and stick to the schedule, Dermot kept pestering her to “tell the truth” about what she did with the money.
As they both broke into hysterics, Alison wheezed through her infectious laughter: “I’m never telling you anything again!”
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Before Dermot revealed her secret to the audience: “She went to the charity shop and she bought a handbag for £15.”
“For charity” she choked through her tears of laughter, as she went on to admit: “I did keep the five pounds and buy some sweets with that one.”
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning
Later, Dermot added: “It was a lovely bag print,” as Alison laughed: “I am very grateful.”
Alison escorted the baker back to the house, after Tasha scummed to the intense heat during Chocolate Week.
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Her absence then threw the programme’s trusted formula into chaos, as Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith made the decision to not eliminate anyone from the competition, with the caveat that two would leave next week.
Appearing on ITV’s this morning, the prime minister was asked by presenter Dermot O’Leary for his thoughts on Braverman’s rhetoric.
In particular, he expressed concern about her use of the word “hurricane”.
“Are you not embarrassed and ashamed when you hear words like that? Because I’m meeting you for the first time and you seem like a decent guy” O’Leary asked.
The prime minister responded: “I think that this debate gets charged a lot where people focus on one thing. So, if you just take a step back, what do I think we all agree on? We all agree that Britain is incredibly welcoming place. We haven’t failed in any way.”
O’Leary said: “Are you not mortified? That’s evil. It’s not a good word.“
Sunak replied: “They are being exploited by criminal gangs. And that’s why I’ve said it’s got to be … the British people who decide who comes to our country and not criminal gangs. They are exploiting vulnerable people.”
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O’Leary did not let Sunak off the hook, adding, “It’s this weaponising of the word that worries me. It’s demonising the people that come here in the first place.
“It’s an issue, of course it is. It’s the incendiary use of that word, that I think most people find unhelpful and harmful because it’s not the people who are coming here’s fault.”
Failing to answer the question, Sunak replied, “I think your viewers probably feel that there is an enormous sense of frustration that there are tens of thousands of people who have come here illegally over the past few years, and that’s not right.
“And I think most people in their local community may now have a hotel that’s been put over to house illegal migrants that’s costing taxpayers.”
On Friday morning, it was reported that the daytime star was “under police guard at her home” after “sinister” messages were found on a man’s phone reportedly threatening to “seriously harm” the daytime TV presenter.
Sunak said he was “so sorry to hear about everything that is going on with Holly”.
“I wanted to send my best to her and her family and to all of you,” the PM added.
Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond appeared to reference the claims of “toxicity” at This Morning as the show aired for the first time since former host Phillip Schofield admitted having an affair with a younger male colleague.
It came after his exit from the show earlier this month, following weeks of speculation over a feud with former co-host Holly Willoughby.
Over the weekend, former This Morning resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh claimed the show had “toxic” culture, saying he raised concerns about “bullying” two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
With stories about the show continuing to made headlines, Dermot took a moment to address the matter at the start of Monday’s show as they welcomed Gyles Brandreth and Sonia Sodha for a news review item.
“We all know we happen to be in the news at the moment and of course we appreciate that but just from both of us, the whole team here, the crew, the guys downstairs, we love making this show for all of you,” Dermot told viewers.
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Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond on Monday’s This Morning
Alison added: “We really do and that’s exactly what we are going to do, we are going to continue to do that.”
Gyles also said: “We are very happy to be here, can I say that as well?
“This is a happy place to work, I enjoy coming in here and have done since I began coming in. We are happy people in a happy place.”
In a statement on Sunday, Dr Ranj said the “issues” at This Morning go “far beyond” the host.
He said: “I was on the show for 10 years and I genuinely loved and valued working there.
“However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated.
“I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM (This Morning) go far beyond him.
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“It takes more than one person to create a culture.”
Dr Ranj said he raised his concerns with senior executives at ITV but later “found myself being used less and less”.
“I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: the culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out,” he said.
An ITV spokesperson said: “We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today.
“At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.
“Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent advisor to carry out a review.
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“This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.”
ITV has also insisted that This Morning’s future is “not under review” following claims it could be axed in the wake of the controversy about Phillip’s affair.
Phillip Schofield on This Morning earlier this month
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
According to The Mail On Sunday, Schofield first met the younger ITV colleague whom he later had an affair with when he was aged 15.
Lawyers representing Schofield have confirmed they met when the boy was 15, but said the affair began after he started working at ITV, and the man’s lawyers have also said that it started after he joined the broadcaster.
ITV said it investigated “rumours of a relationship” between Schofield and the ITV employee about three years ago but both parties “categorically and repeatedly denied” it.
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A spokesperson for the broadcaster said on Saturday that ITV was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it looked into the matter in 2020.
Philip Schofield has issued this statement on Instagram:
“Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people against me or the show who seem to have the largest voice.” pic.twitter.com/XPBeNNHDkt
“Now I no longer work on @thismorning I am free to say this,” he wrote on his Instagram Story.
“I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
“This Morning is the best show to work on, with the best people.
“In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity.
“You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
“But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it is a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard working people.”
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