NTA NOMINEE ALISON HAMMOND MAKES HISTORY I never dared to dream this big but if I did win, I’d win it for everyone of colour
When Alison Hammond walks down the red carpet at the glittering National Television Awards next month, she knows the scale of the task that lies in front of her.
Nominated for Best TV Presenter for her role on This Morning, she is up against the might of Ant and Dec, who are gunning for their 20th award in a row.
And the big-hitters don’t stop there with colleague Holly Willoughby, former Good Morning Britain star Piers Morgan and The Chase’s Bradley Walsh all in the same category too.
But for Alison, her very presence on such a prestigious shortlist is about so much more than the prospect of winning or losing.
Incredibly, it’s the first time a black man or woman has secured a nomination in the Best Presenter category in the awards’ history.
It’s an important – if woefully overdue – moment. And a moment which isn’t lost on Alison.
“I think if I did win it, I would win it for everyone of colour,” she said.
“I never ever dared to dream this big, this was never even on my radar to be in this category. I might have to make my dreams a little bit bigger now.”
Asked if her nomination should pave the way for more diverse presenters to be recognised, she said: “I really, really hope so, I do feel change is happening,
I never, ever dared dream this big, this was never on my radar ALISON HAMMOND ON HER NOMINATION FOR TV AWARD
however, it is slow... I think it’s absolutely wonderful and about time.
“I’ve definitely seen a shift this year, since 2020. It’s so lovely to see people who look like me working alongside me on the telly. It’s a nice feeling.”
Next month’s ceremony at London’s O2 Arena will, however, be tinged with the sadness that her beloved mum won’t be there by her side.
Maria, who was Alison’s “number one” fan and used to regularly accompany her to showbiz events, sadly died last year from cancer.
“Mum would’ve been absolutely over the moon,” she said. “She would’ve been so proud.” Alison said that her teenage son Aidan may accompany her now.
“I’ll get him a new suit,” she joked. “He said, ‘I can’t believe it, mum, this is amazing’.
“He was just so, so happy. I said to him, ‘Listen, I’m not going to win the actual trophy because Ant and Dec always win it but it’s like I’ve won anyway just being in that category. It’s unbelievable’.” Alison and Dermot O’Leary took over from Eamonn
Holmes and Ruth Langsford on Fridays in January, with the new pairing helping propel This Morning to its best share of viewing figures in 14 years.
The figures were even up even on last year when the nation was in lockdown.
Audiences have loved the chemistry between Alison and Dermot, who first met when she was a contestant in the third series of Big Brother in 2002. She
was only in the Big brother house for two weeks but her antics delighted fans – and soon caught the eye of This Morning bosses, who made her a roving reporter on the ITV show.
Since then she has become a firm favourite – both among viewers and the celebrities she interviews.
Her chat with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling in 2017 for their film Bladerunner had the pair of them in hysterics and has been viewed more than 13.5million times.
She also got “married” to the Rock, fed chocolates to Hugh Jackman and choreographed a dance routine with Kylie Minogue. A video of her doing the weather on a floating map of the UK, in which she accidentally pushed a male model into the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, was also an instant viral hit. Always game for a laugh, the bubbly Brummie added her flamboyant flair to I’m a Celebrity in 2010 and competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, beaming her trademark smile through to week seven. Her down-to-earth, slightly chaotic style, in which she doesn’t take herself too seriously, clearly resonates with viewers. “Maybe people see a little bit of themselves in me? I just tell it how it is, I don’t try to pretend to be perfect I am not is,” she because genuinely perfect. No one said.
“I always make mistakes and own them, and I have fun… I bring the LOLs and the vibes to TV.”
“People get that respite sometimes when they see me.
“They know it’s going to be safe, they’re going to have a laugh and I’m not going to take most things too seriously.”
This Morning is also up for Best Daytime show – and her colleague Holly Willoughby, who co-presents the show, is also up for the award. Alison said: “It’s amazing.” But she says the fact that the nomination is based on votes from the public “really means the world” to her.
“For me, it’s about the fact that people have actually voted for me.
“People who watch me on the TV have actually voted for little old me,” she says.
Watch This Morning weekdays from 10am on STV. You can vote for the NTAs free online at www.nationaltvawards.com