‘I’m too busy for the biggest gig on TV’ – guess who’s turned down Strictly | UK | News
The popular Brummie presenter has turned down the chance to host Strictly (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Alison Hammond has turned down the chance to host Strictly Come Dancing, saying: “I’m so busy, babes”.
The irrepressible Brummie, who hosts This Morning on ITV, revealed she was approached to front one of the most coveted roles on TV, but her hectic schedule means she cannot commit.
Alison, 51, was wanted by BBC bosses after the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who quit at the end of the last series.
Asked whether she had received a call to take over the reins of the smash hit series, she told the latest issue of Radio Times: “I have, actually. You didn’t expect that answer, did you? I can’t lie, I’m incapable.”
“I’m so busy, babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen. It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me but, like Traitors, I can’t do it because everything clashes.
“I would have loved to have done it – anybody that gets it, they’re going to land the perfect job. “But I’m so happy with everything I’ve got. What would I drop to do Strictly?”
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Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly left the smash hit dancing show last year (Image: PA)
Mum-of-one Alison shot to fame in 2002 as a contestant on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show Big Brother. She has since landed a host of presenting roles including The Great British Bake Off and has been linked with an appearance on Celebrity Traitors.
She has been in a relationship with Russian model and massage therapist David Putman, who is 28, since 2023 but has only recently gone public, admitting they are “absolutely in love”.
Alison said: “He just has the most beautiful energy and everyone feels it when they’re in his presence. It’s very rare.
“I am so grateful that he chooses to spend his life with me.”
Her meteoric rise and popularity has seen her present the ITV reality documentary series For the Love of Dogs and appear as a contestant on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity Coach Trip, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Masterchef, and I Can See Your Voice.
She currently hosts This Morning alongside Dermot O’Leary every Friday, adding: “People say I work hard, but it’s not hard to go on TV and be myself. My job is simple: just turn up and be me. That’s not even work, is it? I’m just lucky.”
The BBC has yet to announce who will present Strictly when it returns in September but those rumoured to be in line for the job include actress and comedian Miranda Hart, Zoe Ball, Emma Willis and Rylan Clark.
