Alison Hammond has revealed the simple method she uses to stay healthy while fronting the food-filled Great British Bake Off: a 20-minute morning weights workout created by her personal trainer, Ellis Gatfield.
The presenter, who once weighed 28 stone and has since lost 11 stone, told Heat magazine: "My trainer's given me something I can do when I'm away and I can't see him. I'll do stretches, squats, weights - something for every body area. It's easy to fit in."
A routine built around short sessions
Alison explained that she enjoys the physical challenge of the workout, saying: "I just like to get out of breath. I love to sweat. I love the feeling afterwards."
Her fitness routine is part of a broader lifestyle change prompted by a pre-diabetes warning, which she has described as the wake-up call that made her take action about her weight.
Family encouragement and diet changes
Alison has also spoken about how her mum, Maria, who lived with type 2 diabetes, encouraged her to make changes in the months before her death in 2020. Speaking to Good Housekeeping in 2024, Alison said her mum was "worried" about her and that it "really set it in my head".
She explained on This Morning: "I'll never forget when my mum was really ill in hospital. She looked at me – she's never commented on my weight my whole life - and she said, 'Alison, don't end up like me; try and sort out your weight.'"
Strength training over cardio
Alison has made clear her weight loss was not down to weight loss jabs. She reduced what she was eating without banning foods entirely, following a "cutting back, not cutting out" method. She cut down on sugar and paid closer attention to portion sizes, alongside committing to up to four workouts a week.
Rather than focusing on punishing cardio sessions, she prioritised strength training and Reformer Pilates, and has said she was able to reverse her pre-diabetes.
In October last year, Alison spoke about weight loss jabs, telling Richard Eden of the Daily Mail at the Women of the Year awards: "It worries me that the jab keeps getting brought up. Every single time I have a conversation in public, that is the question thrown at me."
Alison, who said she had "absolutely not" used them, added: "I don't like the fact that you have to say: 'Oh, no, I wouldn't have the jab ever'. Maybe next year. Do you know what? I might start jabbing up. What does it matter how people lose weight?"
She also challenged any would-be critics: "Would you rather me die from being obese?"
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 tonight (November 3), from 8pm to 9.15pm.
