Alison Hammond shed light on her “break” from the ITV programme during an appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK, following an awkward encounter with a Hollywood legend
Alison Hammond has shared an update about her This Morning “break” following recent backlash from viewers over a chat with an A-list celebrity.
It comes after a slightly awkward interview aired on This Morning, which Alison conducted earlier this month, with mobster movie icon Robert De Niro and Debra Messing for their latest film, The Alto Knights.
In the interview, which faced backlash from viewers on social media due to De Niro’s perceived lack of interest, Alison attempted to “lighten the mood” with a quirky game.
Alison read out nicknames, and De Niro and Messing were invited to decide if the names belonged to real-life gangsters, or her old school friends. Messing won the contest and was presented with some fake flowers as a prize.
However, a series of eagle-eyed viewers took to social media to suggest something was amiss with De Niro, with one X user saying: “#thismorning Robert De Niro was straight on the phone to his agent after that.” Meanwhile, another said: “He’s definitely thinking how the f*** did i get here #thismorning.”
(Image: ITV/YouTube)
Speaking in the aftermath of the criticism, during an appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK, Alison confirmed the reason why she’s taking a “bit of a break” from the ITV show.
In response to Chris asking when she would next appear on This Morning, Alison said: “Well, I’m actually having a bit of time out. I’m having a bit of a break. I’m having a bit of a break because I’m doing some other projects.
“I’m doing Comic Relief on Friday, so I’m really excited about that – doing it with Davina. Yeah, so, we’re going to raise some money. Yeah, I’m just doing a couple of other things so I’m having like a month off. Is that alright?”
It wouldn’t be the first time De Niro has made headlines due to a frosty interview. In fact, the Hollywood legend has developed a bit of a reputation for being difficult to interview.
In 2015, while promoting The Intern, the Hollywood legend, known for his roles in Cape Fear, The Deer Hunter and Raging Bull, walked out of an interview with the Radio Times, citing the journalist’s “negative inference”.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for #Me)
In another incident in 2019, De Niro opened up about his role in The Irishman on The Graham Norton Show. Still, some viewers weren’t impressed by his on-screen demeanour, one of whom was the ever-outspoken Piers Morgan.
Speaking on X (then-Twitter), Morgan wrote: “Robert De Niro was such a grunting miserable g*t on the Graham Norton Show last night. Why does he do chat shows if he then refuses to chat?”
Meanwhile, the bubbly Alison first appeared on the ITV show in 2002 after completing a stint on Big Brother. It would be a good fit, as she proved to be a hit with viewers.
After Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford left, she secured the permanent Friday slot alongside co-host Dermot O’Leary in 2021.