ALISON: ‘These shows make you their plaything’
She is, without doubt, one of the most successful Big Brother contestants of all time. After starring in series three in 2002, Alison Hammond went on to become a regular fixture on This Morning as a reporter and has also appeared on multiple reality shows since, including Strictly, I’m A Celeb!, and Celebs Go Dating – but she insists it’s not always an easy ride.
Speaking recently on Fleur East’s podcast The Reality Of Reality TV, Alison, 45, said, “When I started, I honest to God didn’t have a clue. Reality TV shows, when you’re there all the time, I think are tough. Things like Strictly, you do your thing and then you go home. When I did I’m A Celeb!, all my clothes and even my sleeping bag were made for me. It’s at those points that you realise they’re making a show and you’re like their pawn a little bit. You’re like the little plaything, really – they’re playing with you. And if you see it like that, then you can enjoy it. My advice to people doing reality TV is to just enjoy it, not to take it too seriously.
“If you’re weak, you could seriously fall into the trap of being told what to do, and I think, now that I’m older and wiser, I can see what producers do. I can see when they want a story [but] I’m not necessarily going to give it to them. I’ll only play if I want to play. It’s always going to be on my terms – always.
“Looking back, I would’ve done anything. In Big Brother, if they told me to go and sit over there, I would’ve e been like, ‘Right.’ I would never question anything. I would literally have just done it. I was just so young and naive and innocent and when I watch it back, I just question what I was doing.”