The rise of ALISON HAMMOND

Woman looks at how the new Bake Off host went from reality star to superstar

- ARIANA LONGSON

Two decades ago, she was a little-known reality star after becoming the second housemate to be evicted from the 2002 Big Brother house. But with her larger-than-life personality, Alison Hammond was never going to fade into the shadows. Now, fast forward 21 years and she’s one of daytime TV’s biggest stars, regularly rubbing shoulders with A-listers. But how did she do it?

Humble beginnings

When she applied to enter the Big Brother house, it wasn’t fame that a 27-year-old Alison – who was a holiday rep in Tunisia – was searching for. At the time, she was racked with debt and thought it was a ‘good idea’ to make quick and easy money. Alison previously admitted, ‘I was in Tunisia, repping, and everyone was reading the papers about Brian Dowling – he had won Big Brother… And [everyone was] saying, “You should go on