Alison Hammond is completely ‘gutted’ since one of her projects is coming to an end.
The This Morning presenter, who co-hosts the ITV daytime programme with Dermot O’Leary on Fridays, has been staying busy with other responsibilities while her co-star has been joined by various guest presenters, including Josie Gibson and, most recently, Sian Welby, on the iconic couch.
Alison, 48, has now issued a seven-day warning to her followers, but her future on the programme remains unaffected.
She has been performing as the Spirit of the Beans in her hometown’s pantomime rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk at Birmingham Hippodrome.
She has delighted audiences for the last month, but her time is over.
Wearing her big performance outfit, which included a blue feathered headpiece, she informed everyone who wanted to purchase tickets that it would soon be too late.
She said in her Instagram Story: ‘Hi everyone, I’m just giving you a heads up that there’s only seven days left until the end of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
‘I’m going to be gutted when it’s over because I’ve loved being the Spirit of the Bean, but make sure you come and experience such a funny, entertaining and lovely panto.’
It comes after Alison was hit with Ofcom complaints after calling children ‘naughty’ on This Morning.
On January 12, she co-hosted the show with Dermot and created controversy with a remark about youngsters remaining at home throughout the school day to watch the show.
86 individuals complained to Ofcom, with a representative confirming that the bulk of complaints were to Alison Hammond’s statements regarding children who were not in school at the time of transmission as misbehaving.
Parenting experts argue that labelling children as ‘bad’ is outdated and can lead to anxiety and self-criticism later in life.
The next day, Alison apologised on air after her phone rang during the broadcast.
‘Did you not turn it off?’ Dermot asked Alison, as he heard the phone ringing behind him, to which she replied: ‘I did turn it off, that’s not me, it wasn’t me!’
She quickly grabbed her phone and added: ‘Oh, it was! I thought I had it on aeroplane mode. Hold on, let me turn it off. I’m so sorry!’