NEWS
Insiders say that Holly Willoughby has been playing agony aunt and helping colleague Alison Hammond get through her recent break-up
Fans were left shocked when Alison Hammond revealed on This Morning that she was “single” – weeks after engagement rumours with boyfriend of two years, landscape gardener Ben Hawkins, surfaced.
During a recent episode with co-host Dermot O’Leary, the presenting duo were discussing ITV’s new show, The Romance Retreat, which has been coined the “middle-aged Love Island”. After Dermot read out the casting call – which he revealed was looking for “vibrant, single parents from across the UK” – Alison giggled and revealed, “Well, I am single, I’m single!”
DEVASTATED
But insiders say that, behind the scenes, Alison, 48, is devastated after her shock split from Ben – who she reportedly met after employing him to tend the garden at her West Midlands home – and has been throwing herself into work as a distraction.
The source says, “Alison is very good at putting on a brave face, but she really has been heartbroken by this agonising break-up. She’s had low points where she just wants to hide under the covers and not face the world, but her work gets her out of bed in the morning. She’s being incredibly strong and, despite it all, she’s determined not to let this impact her career, which is only getting more exciting at the moment.”
Alison – who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2002 – has an 18-year-old son Aiden with her ex-husband Noureddine Boufaied. In 2014, she began dating, and later got engaged to security guard Jamie Savage after meeting on a dating app, but they parted ways three years later. Then, while on Celebs Go Dating in 2020, Alison was briefly involved with audio technician Ben Kusi.
The mum-of-one has previously opened up about how she’d love to get married, saying in an interview last year, “There is someone special and if he wants to pop the question, he can pop away. He loves me to bits. He absolutely worships me.”
And insiders now say that her split from Ben has been a blow for Alison, and her pal and colleague Holly Willoughby – who she’s been working with since 2009 – has been consoling her.
THERAPEUTIC
The source says, “Holly steps into ‘agony aunt’ mode when her mates go through any sort of heartache. She’s been helping to lift Alison’s spirits by not only being there for her to talk to and a should
