As This Morning host Alison Hammond recovers from a nasty health scare, The Mirror takes a look at her romantic ups and downs, before finding love at last with a younger beau
Alison Hammond has been left in a ‘vulnerable place’ after her recent health scare, but viewers can rest assured there’s a special person in the star’s life who’ll be on hand to get her back smiling once more.
Last Friday, the 51-year-old presenter was forced to dash off in the middle of a segment, with co-star Dermot O’Leary explaining she was feeling “unwell” and wouldn’t be returning that day.
In an update given from her hospital bed, Alison, who’d initially feared she was having a heart attack, explained that she’d had “a massive panic attack on live TV”, and that she’d thankfully been given the all-clear after tests were carried out on her heart.
She shared: “It felt very real to me. I’m really new to panic attacks, so I need to learn more about it.” No doubt, boyfriend David Putman will be on hand to offer some TLC. Alison met the 29-year-old massage therapist and model a little over three years ago, after he came to give her a massage.
Sparks flew, and the couple remain completely smitten to this day. But the path to true love has been anything but smooth for the Brummie favourite, who has had to navigate a few heartbreaks in her time.
‘Cold feet’
Alison has previously opened up about her struggles with commitment, admitting to having had ‘cold feet’ in relationships gone by. She does appear to have softened in recent times and has revealed she’s now open to the idea of marriage one day.
Speaking with Gyles Brandreth in an episode of his podcast Rosebud, Alison explained that forming romantic connections can be especially difficult as she ‘loves her own company’. She reflected: “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.
“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 – not think there’s something better – but I always 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’.”
Engagement heartbreak
Cold feet aside, Alison has nearly made it down the aisle on a couple of occasions. She was previously engaged to Manchester-based taxi driver Noureddine Boufaied, with whom she welcomed son Aiden. Recalling giving birth to Aiden, who arrived on her own birthday, Alison said: “[Noureddine] 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.'”
Although they ultimately decided to part ways, The This Morning star still has happy memories of the time she spent with Noureddine, remembering: “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.”
Alison was also previously engaged to security guard Jamie Savage, whom she met via a dating website. Jamie proposed in 2014, but it wasn’t to be, and the pair eventually called off their engagement in 2017. Speaking with OK! magazine, a heartbroken Alison shared: “We split up. It’s the worst news ever. […] I don’t think I want anyone else now. I feel really sad. I’m going to have to eat a lot of chocolate to cheer me up!”
‘Special someone’
This Morning viewers were thrilled when, back in June 2022, co-star Dermot O’Leary let slip that his co-host was ‘taken’, with Alison confirming she had indeed found a ‘special someone’. That same month, Alison appeared full of joy as she opened up about her new partner in an interview with The Sun, gushing: “He’s a lovely man, and all I can say is that I’ve had him hidden for a year and a half. A year and a half I’ve been with him, and no one knew! He loves me to bits. He absolutely worships me and massages my feet every single day. What more do you want?!”
In February 2023, this mystery beau was reported to be landscape gardener Ben Hawkins, whom Alison met after hiring his gardening services. Photographs emerged of a beaming Alison leaving Ben’s home in the morning, and many fans had their fingers crossed that she’d found the one.
The following month, however, Alison made it clear that she was single once more, showing off her green ‘single ring’ during a This Morning discussion about dating apps. Flashing her Pear Ring, 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.”
‘Meant to be’
Nowadays, Alison has no need for her Pear Ring, having found love again with younger boyfriend David, and she says their romance was “meant to be”.
Speaking recently with the Mirror, Alison shared: “It was so random how we met – but it was meant to be! I absolutely adore him; he is lovely. We are obsessed with each other. He loves me. If you met him, he has such a calming nature, which is what I need. He is not like me in any way. It’s grounding.”
In another recent interview with Attitude magazine, Alison opened up about her and David’s 22-year age gap, explaining how she feels about the term ‘Cougar’. She said: “It depends who’s saying it and how they’re saying it. Sometimes I think it’s funny. Sometimes I think, ‘Darling, I’m not a cougar. I’m a whole safari!’
“But there is definitely a double standard. A man dates a younger woman, and everyone goes, “Good for him. A woman dates a younger man and suddenly she’s been given a wildlife classification. Let women enjoy themselves!”
Delivering a message to anyone who takes issue with her dating a young man, Alison declared: “Mind your business! No, genuinely, I think people spend far too much time worrying about other people’s relationships.
“If two consenting adults are happy, loved, respected and making each other laugh, what exactly is the problem? People will always have an opinion. I’ve learned that you can’t live your life according to everybody else’s opinions because you’ll end up exhausted and miserable. Love who you love.”
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 in 2023.
“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
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