Alison Hammond has joked about Ozempic with a cheeky remark about cake while discussing the changing landscape surrounding The Great British Bake Off.
The presenter was speaking to The Times ahead of the Channel 4 show's return, which is set to look different this year following the arrival of Nigella Lawson. Nigella will join Paul Hollywood on the judging panel after Dame Prue Leith's departure, while Alison will once again front the baking competition alongside Noel Fielding.
'There's always room for cake'
The show's celebration of indulgent food comes at a time when weight-loss injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy have become increasingly widespread. Asked about the apparent contradiction between a baking programme and the rise of appetite-suppressing medication, Alison offered a light-hearted response.
"There's always room for cake, even with Ozempic."
Alison's 11-stone weight loss
The comment comes after Alison underwent a dramatic change in her own life, losing 11 stone over the past five years. She has previously revealed that she weighed 28 stone at her heaviest and was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. She also had a gastric band fitted temporarily during her journey.
Alison has insisted, however, that her subsequent weight loss was achieved without weight-loss drugs, with exercise becoming an important part of her lifestyle. She previously told The Telegraph that she works with three personal trainers and regularly does reformer Pilates, boxing, circuit training and weights.
Her transformation has nevertheless prompted speculation online, with some people questioning whether she used medication such as Ozempic to help shed the weight. Alison has rejected those suggestions, previously describing the prospect of taking weight-loss drugs as "frightening" after hearing stories about their potential effects.
Health motivation and family history
She has also explained that improving her health was a major motivation behind her decision to lose weight, particularly because of her family's experience with diabetes. "They weren't happy with me being big; they weren't happy with me being small," she told The Telegraph. "I was one point away from being diabetic, and my mom was diabetic, so I'd seen what a struggle it was. I literally needed to be able to walk up the stairs."
Despite losing a huge amount of weight, Alison has been keen to point out that she does not consider herself to have reached her target. "It makes me laugh when I see comments like 'Alison is so skinny now'. I'm still overweight! I'm a size 20! I'm by far not at my ideal weight for my height. But the main thing is my diabetes is now in the optimum range."
Bake Off's new era
Her latest comments came as the Bake Off prepares for a new era, with Nigella taking over from Prue as one of the show's judges. The 66-year-old has admitted to feeling "a bit nervous" about joining the much-loved programme, although she is also "very excited" about the opportunity.
Nigella recently took to Instagram to thank Paul, Alison and Noel for welcoming her into the Bake Off family. She described the chance to work on the show, alongside "cake", as her "dream job".
Meanwhile, Paul defended the enduring appeal of food television, arguing that viewers do not necessarily need to consume what they see on screen to enjoy it. "Why would you watch Formula 1? You don't drive as fast as an F1 car. People like to watch food."
