Alison Hammond says she is “fine” after heart check-up following This Morning exit

Alison Hammond spent Friday afternoon in hospital having her heart checked after leaving ITV’s This Morning partway through the live programme, but has told followers she is “fine”. BBC News reported that the 51-year-old presenter appeared to clutch her chest as co-host Dermot O’Leary helped her off the set, and that she later posted a video from a hospital bed explaining she had experienced “a little bit of a palpitation”.

“I know you’re all worried about me,” she said in the video, according to BBC News. “Honestly, I am fine. First of all, I’m getting my old ticker checked out.” Variety also carried the story under the headline that the Great British Bake Off host says she is “fine” after a heart palpitation scare on live television.

Key facts

Detail	What was reported
Programme	ITV’s This Morning, Friday edition from 10:00 BST
When she left	Around 11:30, during a segment about pets, BBC News reported
Co-host	Dermot O’Leary, who finished the show alone
Her explanation	“A little bit of a palpitation”, now being checked in hospital
Her message	“Honestly, I am fine”

What happened on air

Friday’s edition began at 10:00 BST with Hammond and O’Leary, the programme’s regular Friday pairing, at the helm. BBC News reported that she left at 11:30 during a segment about pets. When the show returned from a break, O’Leary addressed her absence: “Welcome back to This Morning, Alison is feeling a little unwell, so she’s just had to duck out. Hopefully she’ll be back.” He later told viewers she would not be returning, “so I’ll be here for the rest of the show”.

What Hammond said from hospital

In the video posted on Friday afternoon, Hammond said: “I had a little bit of a palpitation, and now I’m getting it all checked out. But I think I’m OK. I’m hoping it was just a little panic attack or something like that,” according to BBC News. She thanked This Morning’s viewers for their “lovely messages” and apologised for the abrupt exit. “I’m so sorry I left you,” she added. “I would never normally do that. I would never leave a TV show, so you know I wasn’t very well.”

She also praised the hospital staff. “The doctors are so lovely, and they’re checking me out, and hopefully everything’s going to be fine,” she said, before joking about still being in her television make-up: “Everything is fine, look. I’m rocking it. Look how good I look.” BBC News reported that she was undergoing tests at the time of the video.

A presenter at the centre of ITV and Channel 4 schedules

Hammond’s sudden departure drew attention partly because of how much of the broadcast week she now anchors. BBC News noted that the Birmingham-born presenter first rose to fame as a contestant on Channel 4’s Big Brother before appearing on I’m A Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing. She became a co-host of This Morning in 2021 and was part of the team that won a National Television Award for best daytime programme the following year.

She joined The Great British Bake Off as a host in 2023 and took over from the late Paul O’Grady on For the Love of Dogs in 2024, according to BBC News. Her hospital visit was prominent enough to feature on Saturday’s front pages, with the BBC’s review of the papers noting an “Alison’s TV heart scare” headline.

What has not been said

Neither ITV nor Hammond has given a diagnosis, and BBC News reported only that she was having tests. Her own description, a palpitation that she hopes was “just a little panic attack”, is the only account of the cause so far. No announcement has been made about her next scheduled appearance on This Morning, which she normally co-presents on Fridays with O’Leary.

For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Hammond left the studio on her own account of feeling unwell, went to hospital for checks, and has said publicly that she is fine. Any further update, she indicated, will come from her directly.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Alison Hammond leave This Morning on Friday?

BBC News reported that she felt unwell during the live broadcast and was helped off set by Dermot O’Leary at around 11:30. She later said she had experienced a palpitation.

Is Alison Hammond OK?

In a video from a hospital bed she said: “Honestly, I am fine.” She told followers she was having her heart checked and hoped the episode was a panic attack, according to BBC News.

Who finished presenting This Morning?

Dermot O’Leary presented the rest of Friday’s programme alone after telling viewers Hammond would not be returning, BBC News reported.