Alison Hammond shares adoption plans as she opens up about motherhood

For many of us, this was the first we'd ever see of TV darling and ultimate hun, Alice Hammond. But who could have seen her stratospheric success following her 2002 debut on Big Brother? Here's how she did it...

Before entering the mile-a-minute world of early '00s reality TV, Alison worked as an actress and had parts in 1997 drama The Locksmith and Doctors.

But it was her time in the Big Brother house, among other household names like Kate Lawler and Jade Goody house that really launched her rising star, and she left 11th place - WHAT were we thinking?

Later that year, Alison was invited to join the panel of ITV's Loose Women for the first time, and went on to become a regular fixture.

It was the following year though that Alison really came into her own as a valued member of the ITV family, landing the job of UK showbiz correspondent.

And BOY, did she smash it, with some of the most memorable and HILARIOUS interviews of all time (yes, we went there) under her belt. There was the enduring love affair with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson...

... the most magical Christmas moment since the birth of Jesus Christ...

... the undeniable flirty tension between her and Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise (back when he was slightly less problematic)...

And, who could forget, the time she met Arnie. Basically, Alison's phonebook is a who's who of the Hollywood elite.

But don't go thinking that megawatt celebrity interviews were the one string to her bow, think again. She's been a regular fixture on reality TV ever since 2002, and in 2004 joined Celebrity Fit Club.

It was only a matter of time really, wasn't it? In 2010, the fate of her career was well and truly sealed when she was invited into the jungle alongside Stacey Solomon, Gillian McKeith and Shaun Ryder, placing 10th.

Slightly less high-profile (but undoubtedly a whole lot more luxurious - even with the on-board toilets), in 2012 she starred on Celebrity Coach Trip where she visited Trieste, Italy, and Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Fast forward to 2014 and she joined the celebrity line up of MasterChef, but despite her best efforts in the kitchen missed on first place to actress Sophie Thompson.

Later in 2014, Alison, the humble gal from Birmingham, scored the holy trifecta of reality TV when she took part in Strictly Come Dancing with pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, placing 10th.

Alison made her children's TV debut in 2016 with a role in CBBC favourite and Tracy Beakers spin off, The Dumping Ground. She played steely, scary Ofsted inspector Rowena Spike.

Possibly one of the most underrated reality TV shows of the decade, the Celebrity Haunted Mansion opened it's doors to Alison in 2018, along with the likes of Simon from Blue, Katie Price, Luisa Zissman, Made In Chelsea's Marc Frances, TOWIE's Lydia Bright, and Corrie's Simon Gregson. WTH?

In 2019, Alison joined the cast of one of our fave dating shows, Celebs Go Dating. She had something of a romantic dalliance with TOWIE's James Lock, an obligatory break down on the agency sofa, and cemented herself as queen of our hearts.

Proving she's got a heart as big as her personality, in 2020 Alison joined the group of celebs under the marquee for the Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake off.

During the pandemic, Alison turned her hand to some serious reporting when she went back to school for an ITV documentary by the same name in a bid to have Black history added into the UK curriculum. Noble work indeed.

The ultimate career highlight: in late 2020, Alison landed the coveted role of This Morning host alongside Dermot O'Leary, taking over the Friday show from Ruth and Eamonn Holmes.