STRICTLY BOMBSHEL: Alison Hammond Stuns Viewers With Shock On-Air “ANNOUNCEMENT”, Leaving Fans SPEECHLESS and Scrambling to Work Out If She’s Joking or DROPPING A BOMBSHELL

Alison Hammond has dropped a huge hint that she could be the presenter taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman when they step down from Strictly Come Dancing at the end of this year’s series.

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The 50-year-old currently hosts This Morning every Friday with Dermot O’Leary on rival channel ITV – but she has recently branched out into working with other networks. In 2023, she replaced Little Britain star Matt Lucas as co-host of The Great British Bake Off, which airs on Channel 4.

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She has also appeared alongside 20-year-old son Aidan on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox. And earlier this year she appeared on the BBC in travel show Alison Hammond’s Florida Unpacked, again with her son as the pair toured around the US State together across 10 episodes.

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But now the TV star appears to have officially thrown her hat in the Strictly host ring. During an appearance on Loose Women today she revealed landing the gig would be her ‘dream job’.

She went on to joke (though who knows if it’s true): “Let’s announce it now, I am the new host of Strictly Come Dancing!” As she was met with laughs and applause from the audience, she quipped: “The BBC don’t even know it yet.”

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As the chat about Tess and Claudia’s replacement continued, Alison said: “Whoever gets that job – what an amazing job to get. It is the dream job – I’d absolutely do it.”

Never afraid to big herself up, she continued in true Alison style: “Let’s be honest, they would be silly not to have me. Anybody who does that job I wish them the best but you’ll always be thinking, ‘If it’s not me, it should be Alison’ – so they might as well just give it me.”

As a previous contestant and much-loved TV presenter, Alison wouldn’t be the worst choice if the BBC did take her offer seriously and offer her the Strictly baton.

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She appeared on the show back in 2014 when she was partnered with pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec. Though she didn’t get to lift the Strictly glitterball, she impressed fans with her memorable routines but was voted out sixth. That year’s trophy was won by the late Love Island presenter Caroline Flack and partner Pasha Kovalev.

A year later Alison went on to star in the 2015 Christmas Special, where she did much better and was named runner up alongside partner Robin Windsor. But McFly’s Harry Judd was crowned winner with pro dancer Joanne Clifton.

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Though Alison has lost more weight since, at the time she credited Strictly with making her feel ‘better than ever’. She told The Mirror: “I lost 5lb in the first two days. I’m not going to weigh myself all the time, but during this you can eat as much as you want and still drop weight. Every time you go in, it gets a bit easier because you genuinely are getting stronger day by day. After three weeks, this is the fittest I’ve felt in my whole life.”

But losing weight was not the main reason Alison went on the BBC show. She shared: “The reason for me was mostly because I love the programme. It’s beautiful. What you gain from learning to dance properly is truly amazing and if you lose weight along the way that’s just a bonus.

“This is less like exercise and more about having a laugh. You know when you go clubbing and get on the floor and you can’t stop because you’re having such a good time? Well, it’s like that. I always wanted to find something I really enjoy and I think I’ve found it.”

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Alison later had a gastric band which didn’t work – but has denied using weight loss jabs to lose 11 stone, which she said she did to get healthy and because if she didn’t she was at risk of developing diabetes.

Explaining how she lost the weight, she told Women’s Health it was a mix of ditching sugar and fatty foods, prioritising foods rich in protein and vegetables, drinking lots of water and exercise.

She shared: “Twice a week I see my personal trainer, and I have a couple of weights in my bedroom. I walk, I stretch, and sometimes I do a bit of yoga. I try to vary it so it’s not the same every day.

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“After a session at the gym, I think I’m Venus Williams, with all those endorphins pumping around. If I miss a session or two with my trainer, I notice it. That kick you get out of the way you feel is so good.”