Alison Hammond has revealed the surprisingly simple full-body exercise routine she never skips, even when she’s filming The Great British Bake Off. The TV presenter, 51, says her 20-minute regime is such a ‘non-negotiable’, she’s built it into her daily filming schedule – and has even converted others on the show.
‘If I don’t feel a little bit of a sweat, I don’t feel like I’m alive,’ she tells us, in a video call from the Bake Off set.
Alison reveals that she always begins each day with a quick yet effective strength-training routine, devised by her personal trainer to keep her on track away from home.
‘Every morning, I’ll do my little routine,’ she says. ‘About 20 minutes and I’m done.’
The secret is having a workout she can easily fit in, wherever she is. ‘My trainer’s given something that I can do when I’m away and I can’t see him,’ she says. ‘I’ve got a mat that I put out. I’ll do stretches, squats, weights, something for every body area. It’s easy to fit in.’
‘I just like to get out of breath. That’s a daily non-negotiable. I won’t feel like me if I don’t do that.’
To ensure she sticks to the programme, she even keeps her own set of weights in a dedicated area behind the scenes on Bake Off. ‘This is my little cabin,’ she says, giving us an impromptu video tour of her makeshift gym with its rack of dumbbells. ‘My weights travel everywhere with me.’
That must make her rather unpopular with whoever has to carry her luggage? She laughs. ‘No, no, no. Bake Off puts them into storage every year. And I’m in here every morning.’
She tells us that getting the circulation moving creates a glowy base for her glamorous screen makeup and has been fully approved by her glam squad. ‘Sharon on wardrobe and my hairdresser Michelle will come over and do it with me,’ she says. ‘They’re all getting in on it now. They see the benefits.’
As well as the physical benefits, Alison says her daily workout is fantastic for her inner wellbeing. ‘I love lifting weights, I love to sweat. I love the feeling afterwards.’ she says. ‘I need some space where I do something for just me.’
It all fits into her general approach to self-care. Rather than the usual complicated celebrity rituals, she gets her wellness kicks from simple activities that help her switch off. ‘I love things where I don’t have to think,’ she says. ‘I love getting my nails done, I love a Thai massage.’
‘I don’t meditate, but I do like relaxing. Self-care for me is going home, having time off and being with my son. It’s listening to music. It’s stretching and a bit of yoga in my bedroom. I love a Radox bath and a candle by the side.’
Skincare is a big part of her wellness routine, especially now she has her reactive skin under control with the help of Tropic Skincare, for which she’s now an ambassador. ‘Since I started using Tropic, caring for my skin has become such a lovely part of my daily routine,’ says Alison, who has candidly shared her journey with sensitive, eczema-prone skin. ‘Their products are gentle, they feel beautiful to use and they’ve helped me focus on having healthy, radiant skin, which to me is so much more important than chasing perfection.’
Spending quality time with family and friends is another huge source of joy, but she does admit there’s one self-care moment she enjoys most on her own: the cinema. ‘I don’t want anyone next to me talking to me. I want to watch the film. Shut up!’ she laughs.
When it comes to food, Alison is equally relatable. Over the past few years, she has lost an incredible 11 stone, and says it’s all about consistent exercise and moderation. ‘I just eat what I want to eat,’ she says. ‘I just try not to have as much as I used to, when I was a lot bigger back in the day.’
After asking her for an example, she jokes, ‘Instead of 20 McNuggets, I’ll have six.’
More seriously, she tells us that overhauling her eating has made a huge difference to her skin, complementing the calming effects of using Tropic. ‘When I cut out sugar, I’ve noticed it’s a lot better, so I have to be careful how many chocolate bars I have.’
Being back on Bake Off does place a strain on her willpower, she confesses. ‘It has been a nightmare. I’ve just had a little bit of carrot cake,’ she says. ‘I’m not going to lie, it was delicious, but I know it can have repercussions on me if it’s a lot of sugar. Especially my skin.’
The good news for Alison is that she’s aware of her sensitivity triggers – sun, sugar, pollen, the wrong skincare – and, most importantly, has learned to love the skin she’s in. ‘My skin’s not perfect,’ she says. ‘But for me, at the moment, my skin is in the best condition it could ever be. I’m the best version of who I really am.’
