Alison Hammond is well-known for hosting the country’s largest shows, but she was surprised to find that she would have to audition for Great British Bake Off.
Back in March, the This Morning host, 48, was formally revealed as the presenter who will take up the co-host slot left vacant by Matt Lucas’ departure from the show.
Alison claimed she was ‘thrilled’ and ‘couldn’t wait to get started’ on the long-running programme at the time, joking that she only took the position ‘for the cake’.
According to the Big Brother veteran, the process of securing the hosting role took some time.
She said: ‘I’d never wanted a job so bad.’
She added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: ‘I had to audition for it and the maddest thing is, I was like, “Don’t you know who I am?” I had to do this chemistry test with Noel and they were all watching me so I said, “Hi Noel, look at the chemistry.”
Alison continued: ‘So they took me to a garden centre and told me they wanted to see me interview people.’
While Alison previously stated that being on the show encouraged her to improve her baking talents, her initial attempts failed miserably.
‘I have learnt lots. I made brownies twice. But Paul said they were bitter. I was really upset!’ she said.
She’s certainly come a long way since her last appearance in the tent, when she mistook her oven door for a missing one.
Alison appeared in an edition of The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off in 2020, alongside James Blunt, Alex Jones, and Joe Sugg, and was tasked to produce mini-Yorkshire puddings and a biscuit scene.
‘Where’s the door gone?’ she asked puzzled, staring at the open oven for a moment.
Once realising her mistake, she exclaimed: ‘What a cool oven!’
The Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.