Alison Hammond’s mum Maria died in January 2020 following a battle with lung and liver cancer and contracting sepsis, leaving her devastated
Alison Hammond has revealed she wants to “bring happiness and spread joy” and so much so, that even after her mum Maria died in 2020, she hid behind her own pain to deliver a heartfelt gesture for a fan.
The 50-year-old’s mother sadly died five years ago following a battle with lung and liver cancer and contracting sepsis, which understandably left the presenter devastated. Now Alison has recalled the day Maria passed away and revealed what happened just half an hour later.
She told The Guardian: “My mum died in hospital at 5.30am. At 6am, I went out to my car and this woman stopped me for a selfie. I said sure, no problem. I knew it would make her happy, so I hid behind my own smile. Little did she know my mum had just died but looking back, oh my God – I’ll always remember it.”
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The This Morning host went on to recall how she recently met a fan who had also lost her mother and in an effort to make her day, she offered her a once in a lifetime opportunity.
She continued: “I’ll never forget how hard it was when my mum passed, so I invited Kate to the Bake Off final. She met Paul Hollywood and he gave her a handshake. She said it was the best day of her life. It doesn’t take a lot, does it? Kindness truly does make a difference.”
During an unexpected appearance on This Morning in December while she was taking time off to take part in the Peter Pan pantomime in Birmingham, Alison remembered a sweet gift she was given in memory of her mum.
She expressed: “Do you remember last year when lovely Dermot (O’Leary) and the whole team brought me a wonderful chair with the plaque of my mum’s name on it?
“It’s dead centre in the middle of the stage and literally, it’s like I’m performing to my mum. It means the world to me, it’s beautiful. It’s lovely to be back.”
The Big Brother icon added: “I look at the person (in the seat, the person thinks I’m looking at them, I’m not! I’m seeing my mum!”
Last year, during This Morning’s Christmas special, Alison broke down in tears after receiving her heartwarming gift. Not only did Alison get a seat dedicated to herself, but next to her is one named after her late mum.
The seat read: “Mama Foster, ‘The most beautiful sound I ever heard Maria’.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Alison gave Dermot a huge hug as she cried at the thoughtful present. Through tears, she said: “Thank you so much, that’s the best Christmas present I ever had.”
She announced her mother’s death in 2020 with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Alison penned: “’I am dedicating this Valentines to my beautiful Mother who sadly passed away from liver and lung cancer.
“My family and I laid mummy to rest yesterday in a beautiful ceremony which I know she would have loved. RIP my best friend and Living Angel please come to my dreams.”
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