The TV presenter on lifting weights, taking the mickey out of Ryan Gosling and kissing Elton John

Portrait of Alison Hammond.

Born in Birmingham to Jamaican parents, Hammond worked as a holiday rep and cinema usher before finding fame as a Big Brother contestant in 2002. Later that year she landed a slot on This Morning, which she still presents. She has appeared on reality shows including I’m a Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing. Her new BBC show, Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend, starts on Friday. She lives in the West Midlands with her son, Aidan, 20.

Even if I’ve gone to bed at 2am, I still get up at 6.30am. But if it’s a Friday and I’m filming This Morning I’ll be up at 4am, in a car for 5am and arriving at the studios in London at 7am. I’ll be on set for 9.30am and live at 10am. It’s all over at midday and I’ll be home by 3pm.

If I’m not filming, the first thing I do — usually several hours before Aidan wakes up — is go to the gym, where I’ll do some heavy lifting. I’ve been doing weights for ten years now and I can deadlift 65kg. It’s good for my mental health and to prevent osteoporosis. You’ve got to keep on top of things.

Podcast days are much easier as I record them from my bedroom and I’ll have breakfast at home with Aidan. I’ll have a ginger shot, then eggs, bacon, sausages — the full works — which will set me up for the day.

If I’m not working I’ll get my nails or eyebrows done, or nip into B&M, the discount shop. More often than not someone comes up to me and says, “Can I have a hug?” I go, “Of course you can, bab.” You might see me in a baseball cap, a hoodie and a big scarf but that’s to keep warm, not to hide. There’s no hiding with this big body.

At the studio I’ll have a juice and some Caribbean food for lunch — rice and peas and chicken. If I’m home I’ll cook a lasagne for Aidan, then I potter.

Cleaning is so therapeutic — I love mopping — or I’ll repaint a wall. Or I might head to the cinema or for a game of golf with a friend (I’m rubbish). It depends what mood I’m in. I might also put my feet up and watch a bit of The Traitors or Married at First Sight or read a couple of pages of the Bible, which I always carry with me.

My Bible is my guide to life. If I don’t have the book with me, I pull up a psalm on my phone. Faith is the most important thing in my life and one reason behind my success. Nothing worries me. In good times or bad, I’ve got God to lean on.

I’m grateful for my faith and for things that happen in my life but I don’t really reflect on my journey. I love my life whether I’m interviewing Tom Cruise or cleaning my house. You have to give thanks. Always.

I’m not a big one for social media but I might have a little TikTok or Instagram scroll and knock out a quick post or two. I’m very much a post-and-go girl and don’t bat anyone off. People can say what they want, even if they’re negative.

If I’m staying in I’ll rustle up curried goat and rice or chicken fried rice, but I do love an occasional awards do. The most glamorous night ever was probably Elton John’s 2019 Oscars party, which I covered for This Morning. That was good fun. I had a kiss from Elton, a chat with Paris Hilton and met the Kardashians. I realised that no matter how famous people are and how much you’ve bigged them up in your mind, they’re just normal people like me and you.

It’s so important to have some light relief and a little bit of happiness in your life. If that comes through me taking the mickey out of a big star in an interview — like I did with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford or Hugh Jackman — then brilliant, I say. I get letters from people saying that they were on the brink of suicide before they watched one of my interviews.

If I’m relaxing of an evening I’ll do a bit of gardening or knitting, and I’d love to paint more, though my style is more five-year-old than Van Gogh. Before bed I like a nice Dettol bath — my mum always used to put it in the water and it reminds me of when I was a child. I’ll read a couple of psalms, probably numbers 23 and 91 as they’re really beautiful. I’ll be asleep when my head hits the pillow.
The Sky podcast Smart TV with Alison Hammond is available now