EXCLUSIVE: Alison Hammond ‘marrying’ toyboy boyfriend – with celeb guest list
EXCLUSIVE: This Morning star Alison Hammond is said to be “absolutely in love” with her younger beau David Putnam, 29, with sources revealing they are “planning on getting married”
Just days after Alison Hammond declared she was “absolutely in love” with boyfriend David Putnam, pals have revealed the TV star is ready to take the next step in their relationship – and is secretly planning their wedding.
Despite once saying that she “didn’t need a ring”, Alison did concede that if “David asked me tomorrow to marry him, it wouldn’t be a no”.
And it appears she may have got her wish. According to sources, the This Morning presenter has already divulged details of the nuptials to friends, who say “life has never looked better” for her.
“Alison and David are planning on getting married,” our source confirmed. “It’s not going to be immediate, because she’s never been so busy, but she’s very much in love and it will happen. She’s found her perfect man.”
While celeb mates such as Dermot O’Leary and Josie Gibson are all expected to attend, our source says Alison, 51, will no doubt shy away from doing anything over the top, preferring instead to keep the big day as low key as possible.
“Alison is very real,” the source continued. “She’s not going to have a huge, big wedding, it’ll be a few genuine celebrity friends. She’s actually very modest and David shies away from the limelight. He doesn’t like it. He’s from a very different world and she appreciates that. It won’t be small and humble, but it certainly won’t be huge because that’s not his thing.”
Alison met masseur David, who is 22 years her junior, in 2023, after she booked him for a treatment. Sparks flew and she’s been dating the handsome 6ft 10in Russian ever since.
“He just has the most beautiful energy and everyone feels it when they’re in his presence,” she gushed about him. “It’s very rare. I am so grateful that he chooses to spend his life with me.”
She also admitted last week that she understood the fascination with their age gap but added, “I just want people to be happy for us. We are absolutely in love.”
But there is another very important man in Alison’s life who will be playing a significant role on the day.
“Her son Aidan will walk her down the aisle,” our source confirmed. “They’re incredibly close, they’ve got a great relationship and he’s so happy for his mum. He can see she’s happy, healthy and has never looked better, so he’s thrilled to see her take this next step.”
Alison, who shares 20 year-old Aidan with her former fiancé Noureddine Boufaied, revealed that her son “thought David was lovely” when they met, which was a huge relief to her.
“Thank goodness for that,” she laughed, recalling the first meeting. “Because normally Aidan hates anybody I date!”
With her two boys by her side, Alison will be surrounded by love – and of course she will look beautiful to boot. Having slimmed down from 30st at her heaviest, the star credits her weight loss and healthy lifestyle to having a personal trainer, reformer Pilates classes and boxing sessions.
Last week she also revealed she had even cut down on her favourite sweets – toffees — for the sake of her health.
“I had a childish mentality with regards to food, especially toffees, but now I’ll only have a couple a day,” she said.
“Alison has never looked better,” our source said. “Her skin looks great. She’s got her routine down and she’s absolutely glowing. And of course she’s lost an amazing amount of weight.”
That said, they reckon Alison won’t be stopping yet. “She’s intending to lose more weight, so looking for the perfect dress is on hold at the minute,” the source continued. “She’s not had a chance to even look because she’s so busy, but she’s excited about getting started when the time is right.”
The idea of walking down the aisle was once terrifying to Alison, who admitted to being scared of marriage in the past.
“I think as soon as I hear the word marriage, I get cold feet,” she said in 2023. “I think I’m just one of those people. I always think there’s something better but get a bit nervous to know ‘that is it’. I just feel like I’m tied down and I don’t like it, when really and truly I’m getting to that age now where I think, ‘Alison, let go – it’s OK to settle down.’”
And settle down she most certainly has. But while her love life is calm and content, her television career is still going full steam ahead.
Last week it was revealed that she had been approached to host Strictly Come Dancing, following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. But with her other presenting roles, including The Great British Bake Off, new Channel 4 show Your Song and of course, This Morning taking up a huge amount of her schedule, Alison couldn’t commit. She also revealed she had to turn down appearing on The Celebrity Traitors as a contestant.
“I’m so busy, babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen,” she told Radio Times. “It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me [for Strictly] 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.”
