Alison Hammond Opens Up About Weight Struggles and Journey to Health on This Morning

This Morning host Alison Hammond made a candid confession about her weight struggles, revealing that at one point, she felt like she was “dying.” The 49-year-old star returned to the show alongside co-host Dermot O’Leary, where the pair discussed a topic about whether overweight passengers should purchase two plane tickets.

During the segment, Alison took the opportunity to share her personal experience with weight and travel. Joined by Tom Swarbrick and Gyles Brandreth, she admitted that in the past, she had to buy two plane tickets due to her size. “I was nearly 28 stone, I’ll be honest with you, and that is morbidly obese,” Alison said. “I used to buy an extra seat because I didn’t want to put anyone in a situation where I was touching them.”

Recalling a particularly uncomfortable moment, Alison shared, “I was made to feel uncomfortable on one occasion when I was so close to someone’s seat, and they asked to move, but they ended up moving me into first class. It was embarrassing… from that moment, I started buying two seats.”

Although Alison has since lost weight, dropping from nearly 28 stone to 17 stone, she acknowledged that not everyone can afford to buy extra seats. “I don’t do it anymore because I’ve lost a bit of timber, but not everyone can afford to do that,” she added, reports the Mirror.

Alison also expressed her belief that airlines should provide bigger seats for people struggling with obesity. “Weight is a disability, and I think airlines should cater to bigger people,” she said, anticipating disagreement from some viewers. “What if you’ve got obesity, and you can’t lose weight?”

When asked by Tom whether having a larger seat would have impacted her weight loss journey, Alison explained, “I was bigger, and I made myself comfortable by buying two seats. For many years, I was big, and during that time, I made my life comfortable.”

Alison also opened up about the critical point in her life when she realized the need for change. “I was in a situation where I was morbidly obese. I had to lose weight because I was dying—I really was dying.” She added, “People will still say I’m big, but now I’m 17 stone rather than 28 stone, and I’m comfortable with telling you my weight.”