December 24th 2023.
Alison Hammond had an emotional moment when she was presented with a special gift from the Birmingham Hippodrome, the venue of her current pantomime performance. Her beloved co-star Dermot O’Leary, 50, was on hand to comfort her as the tears flowed.
The special two-hour This Morning episode, airing on Christmas Day, features Alison and Dermot alongside Josie Gibson, 38, Craig Doyle, 53, and Gyles Brandreth, 75. The group of five open the presents they have given to each other and when it comes to Alison’s turn, Dermot reveals the surprise.
“The Birmingham Hippodrome, it’s a very special place for you and a lifelong dream that you’re performing there,” says Dermot.
The gesture means so much to Alison, who lost her mum, Maria, four years ago in January 2020. She was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer and sadly passed away.
“So, we’ve named a seat ‘Alison Hammond, TV queen and pantomime star’. That’s named after you in perpetuity, forever,” Dermot reveals.
The surprise doesn’t stop there, as Dermot also mentions that a seat has been named after Maria too. “With that in mind, we know you used to go there with your mother so we’ve got the next seat along, we’ve just named it after your mother. Now, we know also, we’ve talked about it many times that one of her favourite musicals was West Side Story so we’ve put ‘the most beautiful sound I ever heard, Maria’ on there.”
At this news, Alison is understandably overwhelmed and bursts into tears. “I’m so sorry I’m crying, you don’t understand what that would have meant to my mum,” she says.
Dermot gives her a warm hug after the big reveal and Alison expresses her enormous thanks for such a special present. “Thank you so much, that’s the best Christmas present I ever had. I love it, sorry I didn’t realise it was going to be a lovely present … I love it, thank you.”
The special episode of This Morning looks like it will be a really jolly time indeed. After her mum’s death in January, Alison paid tribute to her on Instagram. “Mummy Two years today you left me and the pain has never left my heart . I love and Miss you sooo much . I hear and feel you all the time . My Angel Maria ❤️❤️❤️.”
The TV star received a wave of support at the time, with Holly Willoughby commenting: “Ah Alison… sending huge love to you ❤️.”
This heartfelt gift from the Birmingham Hippodrome is sure to be a very touching way for Alison to remember her mum this Christmas.
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