'Is He Really Saying That?': Alison Hammond Reflects On Uncomfortable Cliff Richard Interview

Alison Hammond has reflected on a now-infamous interview with Cliff Richard that took place on This Morning two years ago.

In November 2023, Alison interviewed the Summer Holiday singer on This Morning, where he raised eyebrows with an off-hand comment about “putting off” the offer to meet Elvis Presley in the 1970s.

“He had put on a lot of weight, and I thought, ‘if I’m having a photograph taken with him, and it’s going to be hanging on my refrigerator, he’s got to look good’,” he recalled, prompting online backlash at the time.

“And I put it off, and, of course, then he died.”

“You should never have put it off just because they’re a little bit heavier,” Alison told him, before quipping later in the interview: “Is that why you don’t want me at your house? Anyway…”

The Great British Bake Off host recently made an appearance on Hits Radio, where hosts James Barr and Fleur East brought up the uncomfortable interview.

Laughing and cringing in equal measure as she rewatched the clip, Alison recalled: “I was sitting there in my… pit of… chubbiness… thinking, ‘oh my gosh, is he really saying that?’.”

Referring to her iconic comeback, Alison explained that she’d already asked for an invite to Cliff’s house earlier in the interview, so “brought up what I’d said earlier”.

“But do you know what, he’s an older man, give him a bit of a break,” she concluded.

Throughout her time in the spotlight, Alison has shared how she’s been made to feel over the course of her life because of her weight, and received a wave of support for her candour.

In her 2021 autobiography, she said she experiences PTSD as a result of bullying she faced while she was at school, and broke down in tears on This Morning the following year during a conversation about obesity.

Back in 2023, the former Big Brother housemate also had an empowering conversation with one viewer on air during a phone conversation with one viewer about body confidence.