She revealed she’d lost an impressive 11 stone at the end of last year, and last week Alison Hammond looked happier and healthier than ever before as she stepped out in London looking even more svelte.
And insiders say that she’s been motivated to stick to healthy habits as she’s hoping to head down the aisle with boyfriend David later this year.
A source tells Closer, ‘Alison’s so smitten, she really can’t wait to marry David and is hoping that by the end of this year or early next year they’ll have a date figured out. While nothing is set in stone, they’ve talked about a venue and how the day would play out and she’s really excited. She’s also determined to look sensational for her big day – she’s lost another stone over the past couple of months, thanks to her more balanced and healthy lifestyle, and she’s feeling fantastic, both inside and out.’
Alison – who has been dating 27-year-old masseuse David Putman since December 2023 – has been on a major health kick over the past few years, inspired by her late mum who sadly died in 2020 but had expressed worries for her daughter’s health when Alison was diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
The 50-year-old presenter – who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2002 before becoming a household name when she joined This Morning as showbiz correspondent, later becoming co-host with close pal Dermot O’Leary – confessed last year that she hit her breaking point when she was at her heaviest weight.
She admitted, ‘I was nearly 28 stone, I'll be honest with you, and that is morbidly obese. I used to buy an extra seat [on planes] because I didn’t want to put anyone in a situation where I was touching them.’ She added, ‘I was made to feel uncomfortable on one occasion when I was so close to someone’s seat and they asked to move, but they ended up moving me into first class.’
However, in recent years, mum-of-one Alison – who has 19-year-old son Aidan from a previous nine-year relationship with cabbie Noureddine Boufaied – has overhauled her habits to live a healthier lifestyle after finding out she was pre-diabetic, which was ‘frightening’ for her.
The For The Love of Dogs presenter recently disclosed that she achieved her weight loss with walking, yoga and seeing personal trainer Lui Mancini – who regularly posts videos of Alison completing gruelling circuits in the gym – twice a week. She has said, ‘I try to vary it so it’s not the same every day.’
She started dating toyboy David after a series of failed relationships – including stints on Celebs Go Dating and a romance with gardener Ben Hawkins, who was investigated by police over claims he’d threatened to blackmail her after their split, though the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.
Alison met David in late 2023 when she booked him for a massage and, since then, the pair have been going from strength to strength, and Alison says that despite their age gap, they are perfect for each other. She said, ‘Yes, I’m 22 years older than he is, but if you saw us together, you’d understand. People have said to me, “We get it now”.’
David has even won the approval of Alison’s son Aidan, making them the picture of a happy blended family.
And Alison revealed how serious the relationship was last year when she said, ‘If he wants to pop the question, he can pop away!’ as well as saying last month that she would ‘marry him tomorrow’ should David ask, so it seems an engagement could be imminent...