Alison Hammond has candidly expressed feeling “really upset” with Paul Hollywood while filming The Great New Year’s Bake Off. Post Emmerdale’s Chris Bisson’s triumph in The Great Christmas Bake Off, the team barely had a breather before launching into preparations for the much-anticipated New Year’s show featuring a Scottish Hogmanay theme.
Festivities are set to fill the Bake Off tent, with previous Scottish contestants returning to craft Scottish-inspired treats.
Adorned in themed outfits and backed by a traditional ceilidh band to amp up the atmosphere, judges and hosts wholeheartedly embraced the Scottish vibe. However, despite the jovial mood, Alison felt irked by Paul’s attire choices, as reported by Birmingham Live.
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She reflected on the experience, saying: “Oh, it was brilliant, it was so much fun. I’ll get up on my feet and start dancing. I’m straight in there.”
She elaborated further on the wardrobe choices: “Paul wore a kilt… and so did Prue. Well, she wore a tartan skirt… And Paul did wear his pants underneath. We were really upset,” reports Gloucestershire Live.
She also reminisced about the contestants, adding: “Nicky from last series was back, which was really nice. They were my first Bake Off babies, so it was lovely seeing her again.”
The competition begins with a Signature challenge that shines a light on a historic and potentially divisive dish, followed by a Technical task from Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, where the bakers are tasked with making a Scottish classic shortbread. For the Showstopper, contestants are asked to create a cranachan-inspired dessert, traditionally a mix of oats, whisky, honey, raspberries, and cream.
Newcomer to the Bake Off team in 2023, Alison Hammond couldn’t contain her laughter during the Christmas special, which featured a celebrity lineup including Natalie Cassidy from EastEnders, Chris Bisson known for his roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale, Dean Gaffney also from EastEnders, Sheree Murphy who has appeared in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, and Shobna Gulati from Coronation Street vying for the festive crown.
In a memorable moment, Cassidy, who portrayed Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, shared with host Alison a humorous anecdote about June Brown, the actress behind Dot Cotton, advising her on childbirth by saying, “darling, it’s like pooing a melon”, when she was preparing to give birth on the show at just 15 years old.
Alison, a familiar face on This Morning, has been celebrating an impressive 11-stone weight loss and opened up to Good Housekeeping magazine about her journey. After discovering she was pre-diabetic, she began working out with a personal trainer twice a week.
Reflecting on her motivation, she recalled her mother’s words: “Just before she died, mum said to me ‘If you can, sort out your weight, Alison’ and that really set it in my head.”
The star revealed: “My mum had type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me, so when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening. I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop and the fatty foods.” The Great New Year’s Bake Off will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Friday, January 3 at 7.40pm.
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