Alison Hammond has addressed rumours of a ‘feud’ with her This Morning co-star Dermot O’Leary.
The ITV presenter made a defiant declaration in response to reports that the pair have failed to “hit it off” and even “bickered”.
ITV was forced to issue a statement over the summer after claims arose of a feud between This Morning presenters Alison and Dermot.
At the time, ITV assured viewers that while the pair faced “the challenges of starting their on-screen partnership during a pandemic” they have now “developed a firm friendship”.
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary ‘feud’ on This Morning?
Now Alison herself has spoken on the matter. On a podcast released this week, she commented on the alleged “feud” for the first time.
In an interview with TikTok star Grace Keeling – aka GK Barry – on her Saving Grace podcast, Alison told listeners that she finds the “beef” rumours “hilarious”.
Honestly I can’t tell you how much I love that man, he’s so funny.
“I can’t tell you how wrong they actually are,” she said in the new podcast, run by 22-year-old Grace.
Alison even joked that she enjoyed fuelling the rumours, saying: “I love the fact that people think that.
“I’m gonna keep that going. Go ‘babes, people think we hate each other, let’s do a couple of things on the telly like stand further apart.'”
Alison and Dermot friendship
The 47-year-old presenter has previously described their on-screen partnership as being “a bit like an arranged marriage”.
In an interview with Lorraine last year, she explained that she and Dermot had little time to warm up to one another.
She said: “We were thrown together on a Friday… It took about two months to feel comfortable.”
Dermot, 49, has made similar comments. He told Fabulous magazine last year that any tension between him and Alison could be put down to awkwardness.
He said: “We literally met for the first time in 15 years or so and that morning we presented two-and-a-half hours of live television together.
“The idea that there wouldn’t be a period of getting to know each other is insane.”
However the presenting pair seem to have come a long way since then. Alison shut down feud rumours once and for all with a defiant declaration on the recent podcast.
She told GK Barry in her latest podcast episode: “Honestly I can’t tell you how much I love that man, he’s so funny.”
Read more: This Morning: Dermot O’Leary hails Alison Hammond’s ’sensational’ transformation as she looks thinner than ever
The interview comes after Alison recently stunned This Morning viewers with a “sensational” transformation. The star has gone on an incredible weight loss journey after speaking candidly about her struggles with her weight.
This Morning airs every weekday from 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.
What do you think about Alison and Dermot on This Morning? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.